Lambton Coke Works (OBF001-019)
The former Lambton Coke Works cover an area of some 100 hectares. Infrastructure associated with the works has now been cleared, and while some housing will be built, a major proportion of the site is intended for low impact amenity use, including areas of woodland and native acid grassland. Very little topsoil is available on site to fulfil these landscaping requirements, and a number of manufactured soils have been developed in which colliery shale forms the mineral fraction. These new soils include a two metre deep profile incorporating shale and a proportion of paper mill crumb to provide a deep, water-retentive medium for tree growth. Existing topsoil reserves will be improved with compost prior to surface seeding. Preliminary field trials have examined practical aspects related to the use of machinery for soil manufacture and placement, together with the effects of trafficking on the new soils and plant establishment.
