Showing posts with label site assessments. Show all posts
Showing posts with label site assessments. Show all posts

Tuesday, 9 December 2014

Landmark revolutionises Phase 1 environmental assessments with Envirocheck Analysis mobile app

·         New mobile app for Apple and Android devices enables full digitisation of Phase 1 environmental site assessments
·         Remote access to current maps, aerial photography and potential environmental risks now available whilst conducting a physical site walkover
·         Geo-locating technology can pinpoint specific site features and take accurate measurements
·         Synchronises information from site walkover back to the office, so no need to write- up notes

We are pleased to confirm the official launch of Envirocheck Analysis mobile app: a brand new mobile app for Apple and Android devices that enables environmental consultants and other land and property professionals to access digital mapping and environmental data whilst undertaking site walkovers for Phase 1 Environmental Site Assessments.

Consultants can digitally analyse current and historical maps, aerial photography and environmental data on their PCs using Envirocheck Analysis,  and now using the free-to-download mobile app they can view these complete workings (including mapping, photography, user-drawn features and environmental data analysis) whilst out onsite. 

Using built-in GPS and geo-locating technology, precise measurements are also recorded by the app, providing accurate reporting of key site features. The ability to synchronise this new information back to Envirocheck Analysis in the office, including digital notes, photos and videos captured on the mobile app, removes the need to manually collate and type up notes and is a real time-saver. 

One of the first clients to use the Envirocheck Analysis mobile app is Land Quality Management's Paul Nathanail, he comments: “In property transactions time is money. The Envirocheck Analysis mobile app represents a step-change in the way site walkover information is captured and transmitted back to the office. Interpretation and reporting can begin as soon as the visit is finished. Decisions can be made quicker; deals will happen and not be stalled.”

Mark Burnard, Senior Product Manager at Landmark Information Group, adds: “With Envirocheck Analysis and the new mobile app, we’re taking the environmental site assessment process from being a paper-based task to a fully digital process.  The app provides users with mapping, data, information-capture tools and unsurpassable connectivity immediately at their fingertips.  It digitises the entire data collection and analysis process for Phase 1 environmental site assessments, removing the need to manually write-up notes, measure site details or rekey data on returning to the office.  Now, all site walkover notes are instantly ‘synced’ back to the Envirocheck Analysis desktop, streamlining the reporting process for all involved.”

Concludes Mark Burnard: “The launch of the Envirocheck Analysis mobile app is an important step forward in delivering a truly mobile environmental analysis solution.  By having access to data, map layers and notes in one place, consultants can now complete a site walkover with just a smartphone in their hand.  It’s a huge time-saver, delivers enhanced accuracy and ultimately will help provide time, cost and efficiency savings for both our current customers and new ones too.”

For more information on Envirocheck Analysis and the Envirocheck Analysis mobile app, visit www.envirocheckanalysis.co.uk, telephone 0844 844 9952 or email customerservice@envirocheck.co.uk.   

Friday, 14 November 2014

Brownfield Gets The Green Light

With the Government issuing new guidance to councils regarding the use of Local Plans to safeguard against ‘urban sprawl’ on green areas surrounding towns and cities, we have seen a swathe of news related to the availability of brownfield sites that are prime (or already set) for future redevelopment.

The Homes and Communities Agency has said that councils will play a key role in highlighting appropriate brownfield land, and as such want to see permissions in place for homes on over 90% of suitable brownfield land by 2020. This could potentially create up to 200,000 new homes whilst at the same time also protect our green belt land.

According to a recent survey by property consultancy Daniel Watney, their data indicates that approximately 25,000 acres of brownfield land currently exists across the UK, which could be utilised for around 466,000 new homes.   This was based on 45% of council data, meaning that there could potentially be land for up to a million homes if all council land was taken into consideration.

We are already seeing industry land owners starting to take into account their land use, with National Grid pledging to free-up unused industrial land for redevelopment. 24 sites have already been earmarked for building, which includes removing disused gasometers. It is estimated that in the first 10 locations alone, approximately 7,000 properties could be developed across 84 acres of brownfield land.

Here at Landmark, we have seen this focus on brownfield growing over the past 18-months, as more and more organisations work together on identifying ways of remediating brownfield plots and rejuvenating them back into local communities.

Our environmental data and historical maps are able to provide a clear picture of exactly how the land has been used through the years, enabling thorough site assessments to be conducted so the correct remediation can take place prior to development.  

Recent enhancements to our Envirocheck Analysis tool give the ability to now see historical land use of a site overlaid with present hazards and environmental data.  This gives the ability to view potential sources, pathways and receptors together to gain a more comprehensive understanding of risk on a site and to execute a better phase 1 report. 

As such, brownfield land should not be feared for what might lie beneath the surface, but instead it is an opportunity for land that may have been affected by industrial or commercial usage in the past to be given a new lease of life, for future generations and communities.

Envirocheck Analysis - reveals the hidden secrets of an area or plot of land