02/05/2008

RML becomes an Exor accredited company.

29/11/2007

RML's long-running project to produce an Inventory of Designed and Heritage Landscapes in Ireland was rewarded with the top prize in the Research category of the Landscape Institute Awards 2007. The judges described it as "an impressive piece of work that hopefully will be taken further... This project puts Ireland in the vanguard of discovering, mapping and logging historic landscapes." Click on the image to the left to read more...
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15/10/2007

RML are pleased to welcome three new recruits to the company. Dr Robert Luxton joins as Senior Ecologist specialising in river ecology and bioengineering. David James joins as Senior Landscape Architect. He will be a lead consultant in the Landscape Design and Management team principally working on new infrastructure projects. Stuart Kato has joined the team as Landscape Ecologist and has expertise in Bats, Doormice, Great Crested Newts, Birds and Mammals.
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10/10/2007

RML have been invited to join an Expert Working Group, set up by the Irish Governments Office of Public Works, to develop a new Conservation Management Plan for Phoenix Park in Dublin.
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17/09/2007

RML's research work into the use of vegetation as an engineering material is identifying firm evidence of what can be achieved by way of engineering and biodiversity. Developers and asset managers are being convinced by evidence based marketing into considering the ecological, engineering and aesthetic benefits of ‘soft-engineering’. The results that are flowing from the research work are already backing up claims for the suitability of ‘soft’ engineering solutions in the short and long term. Visit the pages on this web site that illustrates some of our recent projects.
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05/09/2007

RML secure planning success for renewable fuel project
Local firm Clifford Jones Timber approached RML to provide environmental support for the design and planning application needed to establish a wood fuel pellet plant. Grant funding conditions meant that securing planning permission quickly was essential. RML quickly carried out the Screening and Scoping stages under the Environmental Impact Assessment regulations, and presented these in one report to the planning authority.
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20/07/2007

RML were pleased to welcome two representatives from the North Wales Wildlife Trust today. Mr John Morley and Mr Adrian Lloyd-Jones discussed areas of mutual interest including the importance of accommodating protected species in development works. Adrian described his activities in managing a wide range of environments in special sites around North East Wales. RML were pleased to join the trust as a corporate member and provided the trust with access to RML's online database on protected species, www.ecolaw.org.uk
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08/06/2007

ENVIRONMENTAL COORDINATORS, EIA PRACTITIONERS: designers, manager and scientists with real working experience of the statutory process, EIA and site environmental management.
LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTS: Experienced and able to design and assess landscapes and to provide practical and pragmatic advice on integrating developments into their surroundings.
ECOLOGISTS with survey experience EIA and report writing skills.
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09/01/2007

RML is working with another Ruthin firm, Jones Bros (Civil Engineering) Ltd as environmental advisor on the emergency works contract to stabilise the rock cutting at Dinmael, west of Corwen on the A5 trunk road. This section of the A5 is well known as the main approach to Snowdonia National Park. The trunk road was closed because a mass of rock has been identified as being potentially unstable and therefore a threat to road users. Approximately 90,000 m3 of rock must be removed to make the rock face stable. The work also provides the opportunity to create environmental improvements such as a better appearance and new habitats on the excavated faces of the cutting. An interesting aspect of the work entails re-opening Telford's original A5 as a temporary bypass: this required detailed appraisals and negotiations with Cadw: Welsh Historic Monuments (a department of the Welsh Assembly Government), the Environment Agency and the Countryside Council for Wales.

01/01/2007

RML has expanded its team to support a growing portfolio of projects. Stuart Kato joined in December as Ecologist to work alongside Dr Richard Birch on site surveys, protected species licensing and the development of mitigation works. Julie Barr makes a long-overdue return to RML in January as a Principal Landscape Architect. Julie spent the early part of her career with RML in Ruthin, and will take a leading role in the design and environmental assessment of highways and infrastructure projects alongside Andrew Sumner and Stephen Blunt.

31/12/2006

The proposals to improve the A494 between Drome Corner and Ewloe, near Queensferry in Flintshire will be exhibited to the public in January 2007. The "Draft Orders Exhibition" allows the public to see the proposed works, the land required, and the Environmental Master Plans setting out a range of mitigation works designed to minimise the environmental impact of the 4.25km scheme. RML has led the Environmental Assessment process, working with designers FaberMaunsell and ECI contractor Alfred McAlpine in another successful collaboration for this established team. Particular attention has been paid to noise and air quality, visual impacts and ecological matters as the route passes close to substantial residential areas and crosses the River Dee, designated as a SAC and SSSI. The team is now preparing for the Public Inquiry, with the site works programmed to start at the beginning of 2008.

25/12/2006

Seven technical specialists from the South West University of Chongquin in China made two visits to RML in December. The Chinese visitors have spent 3 months in North Wales improving their English language skills so that they can teach their particular subjects through the medium of English. The visitors wanted to meet "real" businesses to gain a better understanding of how large and small companies in the UK operate, to compare with the approaches now developing as China introduces market economics within a centrally-directed system. Dr Tu Jianjun in the University's department of geography returned for a second visit along with 2 colleagues, to discuss in detail the assessment of the environmental impacts of infrastructure projects and the potential for partnership with RML.

20/12/2006

Work to widen 13km of the M4 between J29 Castleton and J32 Coryton reached an important milestone when the Welsh Assembly Government instructed Alfred McAlpine to proceed from the design phase to the construction phase of this ECI contract. RML is providing the Environmental Coordinator and Environmental Clerk of the Works within Alfred McAlpine's contract team, as well as specialist expertise in ecology and arboriculture. Over the last 23 months the project team has been developing the design and taking the proposals through the statutory process of Environmental Assessment and Public Inquiry. The decision to proceed to construction in January 2007 has been made 8 weeks ahead of the Welsh Assembly Government's programme for the project, which itself was one of the shortest programmes attempted.

01/12/2006

In reopening Telford's A5 as a temporary bypass as part of the emergency works at Dinmael, west of Corwen, RML's ecologists contributed to the study of the retaining wall which supports the road. The wall is the location for the extremely rare Limestone Woundwort. This plant is only found in 2 places in the UK. RML's ecologists carefully transferred existing plants to the botanical gardens at the University of Wales Bangor for propagation, and will return them to the site when the earthworks are completed early in 2007

01/11/2006

RML's successful partnership with construction firm Alfred McAlpine Capital Projects continues. Alfred McAlpine's team including RML as environmental consultant won the tender competition to improve approximately 3.9km of the A470 between Blaenau Ffestiniog and Cancoed in Gwynedd, North Wales. The team commenced work in August 2006, working for client body Transport Wales (part of the Welsh Assembly Government) with Gwynedd Consultancy as client's agent. The narrow road threads its way between tips of slate waste, the residue of the slate quarrying which made Blaenau Ffestiniog famous. The road then climbs steeply to the summit of the Crimea Pass before descending into the Lledr valley. The project marks a return to Blaenau Ffestiniog for RML's Managing Director Ivor Richards OBE, and Principal Landscape Manager who worked on land reclamation schemes in the town in the 1970s and 1980s.

22/09/2006

The objective of this survey is to begin a process of understanding of the extent of Ireland's historic gardens and designed landscape. Sites were identified using the 1st edition Ordnance Survey (1833-46) maps. These were compared with current aerial photography to assess the level of survival and change. This inventory includes over 6000 records of historic gardens and designed landscapes. These are principally demesnes, but also included are urban parks and garden cemeteries. While many are well known, for example the Phoenix Park in Dublin, most are less so, are forgotten or have been entirely destroyed.

The survey was carried out in two phases. Phase 1 commenced in 2003 with a search to identify sites for the inventory. Phase 2, which commenced in 2005, was a desk-based assessment of site condition and survival. Both phases were carried out by Richards, Moorehead & Laing Ltd. on behalf of the Department of Environment, Heritage & Local Government.


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23/03/2006

Major works completed at Llangefni on the Town Council's riverside improvement scheme. RML designed and supervised construction of the improvements, with G H James Ltd as main contractor.
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15/02/2006

The Moel-y-faen quarry expansion and restoration has received approval from Denbighshire County Council's planners. The quarry operators, Jones Bros of Ruthin, want to extend operations across another 11 acres of land as work continues to restore other parts of the site to heath and grassland.
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23/09/2005

Moel y Faen Environmental Statement (Non Technical Summary). This environmental statement has been prepared to accompany a planning application for mineral extraction at Moel y Faen Quarry near the Horseshoe Pass, Llangollen. To read the Non-Technical Summary (NTS) follow the link below.
The full Environmental Statement may be read at the offices of Denbighshire County Council in Denbigh, or purchased as a CD from RML (see NTS).
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09/09/2005

Richards, Moorehead & Laing (RML) has been appointed as environmental co-ordinator for a planned £48.7 million upgrade of the busiest stretch of road in North Wales; the A494 dual carriageway from Ewloe to the River Dee bridge, near Chester. Construction of the three mile section of road, which carries up to 75,000 vehicles a day as part of the link between the M56 and the North Wales A55 corridor, is expected to start in late 2007.

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06/07/2005

Alfred McAlpine plc today announces it has secured a £50m contract from the Welsh Assembly for the widening of the M4 near Cardiff. RML will provided environmental expertise to the project team. The project, which entails widening the M4 from two to three lanes on a 12.7km stretch, is the second major Early Contractor Involvement (ECI) Scheme to be awarded by the Welsh Assembly. Located north of Cardiff, the contract is split into two phases, design and planning followed by construction. The construction phase is due to begin in early 2007 and will last around 30 months. RML is providing experienced staff to work in the project office in Cardiff.

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10/06/2005

The latest in RML's Skate Park portfolio, Castlefields Skate Park goes out to tender. RML have designed the 936 square meter concrete Skate Park for our client Halton Borough Council. The design was produced from consultation with user groups and professional skater Neil Danns along with RML's design team.
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09/06/2005

NEW OPPORTUNITIES AT RML. Applications are invited from experienced Landscape Architects and EIA Practitioners and Project Environmental Coordinators.
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08/06/2005

Ecolaw Ltd launches new website designed to be the Web community for resolving conflict by linking ecologists and developers in the UK and Ireland. Go to http://www.ecolaw.org.uk to find out more and register as an ecologist or developer.

07/06/2005

RML are pleased to announce that Russ Mainwaring joins the team today. Russ has spent some 10 years as a self employed garden designer whilst completing a MA in Garden History at the University of Bristol. He has joined RML to be an important member of the team working on the Survey of Designed Gardens and Landscapes for the Irish Government.

26/05/2005

The Irish government has appointed RML to develop a database of 5,500 historically important heritage landscapes.
The GIS based survey is the first of its kind in the British Isles and will cover the great Irish houses and demesnes, formal gardens and plant collections in the Republic, many of which have been changed or disappeared under development.
The appointment, by Ireland's Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, follows a research project begun in 2003, in which RML identified thousands of original designed landscapes.
The extent of sites is being evaluated using aerial photography and 19th century Ordnance Survey maps,
The database, which includes historical details, maps and photographs and a comment on the survival and current condition, will provide an historical record of unprecedented value, which is vital for the preservation of Irish heritage and an essential tool for strategic planning and development control.

01/03/2005

We're pleased to announce that Alex Lickley has joined the RML team as Senior Landscape Manager. Alex's primary role is to provide arboricultural and landscape expertise to the team.

22/12/2004

Clwyd and Denbigh Angling Club are now seeing the completion of a programme of works designed and managed by RML to drain, dredge and refill the Clywedog reservoir and to install paths , timber walkways and eight jetties suitable for able bodied and disabled anglers. The civil engineering works were carried out by Huw Howatson Limited of Ruthin.
Sid Badland, the Vice President of the angling club, who has worked tirelessly over the last 5 years to obtain funding and approvals for the project, said 'we are delighted with the project and look forward to restocking the lake with fish'.
The project followed a feasibility study completed by RML in 1998.
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21/12/2004

RML have just completed a contract with the Department of Environment, Heritage and Local Government in Ireland to prepare an inventory of heritage gardens and designed landscapes throughout the 26 counties of the Republic. We have also developed a working method to survey and evaluate all the sites so that the most important heritage sites can be identified.
A total of 5,500 sites have been added to the inventory so far. The locations of these have been found on 1st and 2nd edition OS maps and recorded on a database using web-technology.
The proposed method of evaluation allows for further stages of work and is expected to progressively weed out sites that have been destroyed or have little heritage value.

17/12/2004

NEW PLAN TO MAKE 'WILLOW ENGINEERING' A GROWTH INDUSTRY FOR WALES.
RML is studying ways to make Wales a centre of excellence for willow engineering - the technique of using live willow as an alternative to concrete and steel, in applications such as stabilising river banks, roadsides and footpaths.
The Ruthin based company has been commissioned by rural development agency Cadwyn Clwyd to report on the potential for using willow in civil engineering projects, and conduct a survey of companies already involved with the technique.
RML will also deliver recommendations for encouraging growers to produce willow as an engineering material, using the Cadwyn Clwyd region of Flintshire and Denbighshire as its starting point.

03/12/2004

RML has recently attended the Knowledge Transfer Partnership awards day. RML worked along with Cardiff University researching ways of reducing carbon dioxide emissions in concrete production. For the work completed on this they were awarded a national prize.

05/11/2004

Richard Birch, Ecologist at Richards, Moorehead and Laing, spent 3 weeks in Western Australia during October 2004. While he was there, he took the opportunity to see how conservation management issues were different down under.
10 mammals have become extinct in western Australia in the last 150 years. That is 20 percent of the total mammal species.
The statutory body for conservation regulation in Western Australia is CALM (Conservation And Land Management). Their approach to these problems is controversial. A massive poisoning campaign aimed at reducing the number of foxes has caused an increase in previously endangered animals like the Numbat, the Southern Brown Bandicoot or Quenda and the Noisy Scrub Bird.

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18/10/2004

RML are delighted to announce that Bob Hughes has joined the company in a Marketing Consultancy role. Bob has substantial experience in several different marketing environments and plans to bring his expertise and knowledge to RML. The company is in a significant growth phase and Bob will assist the RML team to direct its capabilities and experience in a more focused manner. Managing Director Ivor Richards has known Bob for many years and is looking forward to working closely with Bob to manage the current very exciting growth phase.

16/10/2004

RML has won a Knowledge Transfer Partnership Award 2004 for its work on the development of cement substitutes from industrial wastes. The award will be presented by a Government Minister on 1st December at a special event to be held at 1 Great George St, London. RML's partners in the work were The School of Engineering, Cardiff University and Environmental and Industrial Evaluations Ltd.

01/08/2004

RML staff and friends celebrate 20 years of innovative and rewarding business at the company's 20th birthday party.

31/07/2004

The new RML designed facility at Victoria Park, Warrington was officially named Viki Park at the Summer Concrete Skate Jam

01/06/2004

We're pleased to announce that Richard Birch has joined the RML team as Senior Landscape Ecologist. Part of Richard's role is the Habitat Management of the Anglesey stretch of the A55.
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13/04/2004

RML install powerful new Linux server at a Redbus site in London Docklands. This new server will form the basis of RML's web hosting and database services. It currently sits in the top 50 fastest web servers in the country according to an independent survey by webperf.
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22/03/2004

RML welcomes Robert Fulton to the team. Robert is charged with the technical development of RML's IT capabilities. Robert specialises in internet technologies and open source software.
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05/02/2004

'Willow engineering' has been used successfully to repair a collapsed canal bank, which had led to a road closure as well as a navigational hazard at Dilham Staithe on the Norfolk Broads. May Gurney (main contractor) commenced site clearance on Monday, 26 January 2004. Willow work commenced on Monday, 02 February 2004 and was completed by 05 February 2004.
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01/12/2003

Middleton Wood, Lancaster: A community tree planting event involving local residents of all ages. Part of the restoration works which will transform this former petroleum refinery site for new public use.
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01/10/2003

Construction has finished at Britain's biggest purpose-built concrete park for skateboarders, BMX riders, rollerbladers and in-line skaters, in Victoria Park, Warrington.
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13/11/2002

RML receives AMBASSADOR status from the commitment to innovation programme run by the Welsh Development Agency

01/11/2002

A civil engineering technique used for thousands of years has proved cheaper and quicker than steel and concrete for stabilising slopes, in a series of projects by consultants Richards, Moorehead & Laing
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