When the MOD had a problem with access to its Pendine site, Qinetic – who manage the MOD’s properties, called in Spencer for assistance.Pendine range, on the south coast of Wales, is an important test and evaluation centre for the MOD. It is the UK and NATO European Regional Test Centre and the recognised facility for the accreditation of small arms and cannon ammunition.
Together with its land-based and enclosed tunnel ranges, which cover an area of 20.5km2, it has a long (9km) test track facility for high-speed dynamic trials of warheads, precision ground attack systems and Missile components. The site also contains engineering workshops, ammunition laboratories and explosive stores, plus its 9km shoreline is suitable for aircraft sorties.
It is therefore important that the access road must be able to cope with large loads and not cause any form of restriction to the vehicles that travel to and from the main gates. However, over the years, a line of 180 conifer trees on one side of the primary route from the public road into the site had begun to cause a problem, added to which, the debris and branches falling from the trees meant that the road required clearing more often.
Whilst felling trees is not an issue for Spencer, because the site must be accessible 24-hours a day, it meant that the approach road could not be closed and therefore, work had to be carried out in an extremely efficient and tidy manner. To achieve this, each of the trees was felled section-by-section, with the waste materials collected and moved to a processing area as the work progressed.
In cases where the felling of the trees may have caused an obstruction, Spencer instigated a temporary traffic management scheme to enable access to take place safely. Spencer also processed the waste timber into wood-chip, which was subsequently used as bio-fuel.
Having started the work at the end of November, the job was completed by mid-December. And, following its good work, Spencer is delighted to report that the MOD has requested its team to carry out another job, this time pruning a series of Poplar trees that are located within the site.
