INTERIM ENGINEERING
RELATED SERVICE – BUSINESS PERFORMANCE
Asbestos Surveying, Removal & Remediation
The challenge
Ageing buildings contained known or suspected asbestos-containing materials that had to be properly identified and managed before refurbishment, demolition or future investment could proceed.
At the industrial site, two former storage buildings contained extensive asbestos-cement roofing together with asbestos-containing wall, ceiling and associated materials. The buildings were located within an operational food-production environment, requiring the remediation strategy to consider site access, isolation, containment, waste management and interfaces with subsequent demolition and redevelopment.
The wider housing and commercial portfolio presented a different challenge: maintaining a consistent surveying and inspection regime across multiple property types while providing reliable information for maintenance, refurbishment and asset-management decisions
Key Project Outcomes
600m² Asbestos-cement roofing identified
£73k Guidline Land Remediation tax relief identified
Virium supported asbestos risk management across both an operational site and a wider housing and commercial property portfolio.
The work combined intrusive asbestos surveying, sampling and technical assessment with removal planning, demolition interfaces, commercial evaluation and specialist contractor coordination.
For the industrial redevelopment project, the asbestos strategy formed the first stage of a wider programme to clear ageing storage buildings and enable construction of a new facility.
For the property portfolio, the scope extended across domestic and commercial buildings and included management, refurbishment and demolition surveys, sampling, air monitoring, communal-area reinspections and associated consultancy.
Surveying & Technical Assessment
Virium coordinated specialist asbestos investigation appropriate to the intended works.
At the industrial facility, separate refurbishment and demolition surveys were undertaken in accordance with the survey scopes established for the proposed redevelopment.
The demolition survey identified chrysotile asbestos cement within roof sheets, wall and ceiling panels, fillet panels and mezzanine packers. Approximately 600 m² of asbestos-cement roofing was identified across the two principal storage sheds.
A separate refurbishment survey identified asbestos cement within the roof, end capping, guttering and downpipes of an additional building planned for refurbishment.
Portfolio Asbestos Management
The same engineering approach was applied at portfolio level for residential and commercial properties.
The scope included domestic refurbishment and demolition surveys, management surveys, commercial surveys, bulk sampling and laboratory analysis, communal-area reinspections and air-monitoring attendance.
This provided a structured basis for identifying asbestos risk before maintenance or refurbishment work and for maintaining asset information across different building types.
From Asbestos Risk to Remediation Strategy
Virium's role extended beyond identifying asbestos-containing materials.
The engineering approach connected surveying, risk assessment, specialist removal planning, demolition, CDM coordination, programme development and commercial evaluation, allowing asbestos risk to be incorporated into wider refurbishment and redevelopment decisions.
For property portfolios, the same approach provides clients with structured technical information to support maintenance, refurbishment and long-term asset management.
Removal & Remediation Strategy
The survey information was developed into a practical removal and demolition strategy rather than being treated as a standalone compliance exercise.
The proposed works incorporated:
specialist asbestos removal and controlled disposal;
site establishment and controlled work areas;
waste segregation and traceable disposal;
air-monitoring requirements for the operational site;
demolition following asbestos clearance;
CDM and Principal Designer interfaces;
integration with subsequent groundworks and redevelopment.
The specialist removal and demolition package developed for the site included asbestos removal, demolition, site management, welfare, plant, fencing and associated surveys.
Engineering Integrated with Business Performance
The asbestos work was considered as part of the wider asset and investment strategy rather than as an isolated removal cost.
For the industrial redevelopment, Virium incorporated asbestos removal into the Phase 1 programme alongside demolition, groundworks and construction of the replacement storage facility.
The tender development also identified potential Land Remediation Relief associated with the remediation work. The proposal included a £73,275 guideline tax-relief allowance against the asbestos-removal and demolition stage, reducing the indicated stage cost from £228,300 to £155,025 before VAT, subject to eligibility and the client's tax position.
This linked technical compliance, project sequencing and commercial decision-making within one redevelopment strategy.
