Tarmac Contracting were appointed as surfacing contractor for this project to build a new 4000m2 staff car park at the Magor brewery in Monmouthshire. Based on a 50 acre site near Newport, this is the largest AB InBev brewery in the UK, employing 290 people, operating 24 hours a day and 362 days per year and producing up to 13 thousand kegs per day.

The Challenge
The new car park was intended to replace the numerous small car parks that existed on the site. It would improve access and traffic flow around the site and provide safe, all-weather parking for staff.

The Solution
Sustainable water management was a key priority for the client. One of their environmental targets was to implement watershed protection measures at all of their sites by 2017. As a result, they had specified full infiltration porous construction that would allow rainwater to soak into the pavement, before being slowly released into the ground. This would help to reduce the rapid runoff which can cause local drainage systems to be overloaded after heavy rainfall. Tarmac recommended ULTIPOROUS as a surface and binder course. The open structure means that rainwater quickly flows into the pavement helping to avoid standing water and localised flooding.

Results and Benefits
As planned, the main contractor completed the groundworks including a large soakaway which allowed water beyond the clay subsoil and into the underlying porous sandstone. They also laid the geotextile and the underlying aggregate layers. Tarmac Contracting then laid ULTIPOROUS as a 32mm base course at 80mm and a 10mm surface course at 40mm. The new ULTIPOROUS surface provided a safe, all-weather parking area which would avoid surface water after heavy rainfall and formation of ice during the winter. It also met the client’s sustainability requirements by helping to manage rainwater at source and control its release into the surrounding environment.