Fairhurst were commissioned by the Montrose Port Authority to undertake a comprehensive ground investigation at a former Offshore Engineering and Firefighting Training facility in Montrose. The investigation was carried out to support the proposed redevelopment of the site into the Montrose Port Industrial Park, which is intended to accommodate both existing and new companies operating within Scotland’s Renewable Energy sector.
The investigation, interpretative reporting and risk assessments were undertaken to satisfy the requirements of regulators Angus Council and SEPA and to characterise potential environmental risks associated with the site’s historic industrial use. A key focus of the works was the assessment of PFAS compounds, specifically PFOS and PFOA, within site soils and groundwater. The groundwater investigation was designed to align with SEPA’s recently published WAT-G-71 guidance, which sets out the regulatory framework for the investigation and management of contamination in the Water Environment. The study also assessed other contamination sources associated with the site’s historic operations, including hydrocarbon impacts and areas of free-phase product identified within the groundwater.
In addition to the environmental assessment, the ground investigation has provided the geotechnical information required to support the design of the geotechnical aspects of the proposed development. The results are now being used to inform the development of a Remediation Strategy for the site, ensuring that contamination risks can be effectively managed in line with regulatory expectations while enabling the safe and sustainable redevelopment of the site.
