How innovative land assembly helped meet a project’s complex Biodiversity and Environmental Net Gain requirements.

BNG & Environmental Land Assembly for major project

Ardent wired into another phase of the Great Grid Upgrade. As part of National Grid’s Great Grid Upgrade, there is a proposal to build nearly 60km of a new 400kV overhead line between Chesterfield and Willington to enable more energy to be carried between the north of England and the Midlands.

Chesterfield Willington

The Rinawade to Dunfirth to Kinnegad 110 kV circuit is an important part of the electricty network in the Midland region, comprising a 54km circuit. The client required support with the preparation of a planning application for the line to be uprated to accommodate the increased power flows driven by the continuing connection of new renewable generation in the Midlands.
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RinawadeDunfirth 110kV Uprate

South East Strategic Reservoir Option (SESRO) is a proposed new reservoir near Abingdon in Oxfordshire, being developed by Thames Water with Ardent and other partners to secure long-term water supplies.

SESRO

Ardent tendered to be on Welsh Water’s framework to provide land agency services to support its internal estates function in 2021 for an initial three&#8211;year period.

Welsh Water

Peak Cluster involves 3 cement production facilities and 1 lime production facility located in and around the Peak District. Each facility will fit carbon capture equipment to their operations. A pipeline route, which is effectively the NSIP,  then heads west toward the Wirral peninsula before entering Morecambe Net Zero operated by Spirit energy.

Peak Cluster

Ardent is working in close collaboration with Alerion, an international renewable energy developer, to identify and secure land for new onshore wind opportunities across the UK and Ireland. This strategic instruction involves a full-service offering—from landowner identification and engagement to negotiation of legal agreements, with the ultimate aim of securing Options to Lease for viable wind farm sites.

Land Assembly for Onshore Wind – Alerion

The proposed Dunside Onshore Wind Farm, located in the Lammermuir Hills adjacent to the Fallago Rig Wind Farm, is a key project in EDF Renewables UK’s onshore wind portfolio. With a planned generating capacity of 108 MW of low carbon electricity, Dunsidewill contribute significantly to Scotland’s net zero ambitions. If consented, the project will establish a community benefit fund to invest in local initiatives throughout the operational life of the wind farm.

Dunside Onshore Wind Farm

Muir Mhòr Offshore Wind Farm is a joint venture between Fred. Olsen Seawind and Vattenfall, aiming to generate up to 1 GW of offshore wind energy. Located 63 km off the coast of Peterhead, it is a strategically significant project contributing to Scotland’s renewable energy ambitions and the UK’s net zero targets.

Muir Mhòr Offshore Wind Farm

Beacon Fen Solar Farm is a significant renewable energy project proposed by Low Carbon, comprising 400 MW of solar generation and co-located battery storage in South Lincolnshire. As a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project (NSIP), it is progressing through the Development Consent Order (DCO) process. Our land consultancy team was appointed to deliver critical early-stage land services to support the successful development and submission of the project.

Beacon Fen Solar Farm

H2Teesside, led by BP, is a pioneering low carbon hydrogen production facility set to become one of the largest of its kind in the UK. The project will produce around 160,000 tonnes of low carbon hydrogen per year, displacing natural gas use among Teesside’s industrial emitters and capturing approximately 2 million tonnes of CO₂ annually for long-term storage. It forms a key component of the UK’s decarbonisation strategy and contributes to establishing Teesside as a national hydrogen hub.

H2Teesside – BP

Botley West Solar Farm

The Silvertown Tunnel, Transport for London’s (TfL) is a brand new 1.4km twin-bore road tunnel under the River Thames. Linking Silvertown in east London with the Greenwich Peninsula, and being the first new road crossing of the River Thames east of Tower Bridge in nearly 30 years.

Silvertown Tunnel

Mallard Pass Solar Farm is proposed to be located on agricultural land either side of the East Coast Main Line near Essendine, partly situated in South Kesteven, Lincolnshire, and partly in Rutland.
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Mallard Pass Solar Farm

The project is promoting the widening of the A12 between Chelmsford and Colchester (27km), from two to three lanes with two offline sections.

A12 Chelmsford to A120 Widening Scheme

The Ashton Vale to Temple Meads Guided Busway is a public transport link approximately 8km long that provides a set of frequent core services running from Long Ashton Park and Ride to Bristol Temple Meads and on to Cabot Circus, Broadmead and The Centre.

Ashton Vale to Temple Meads Guided Busway

Ardent is part of the team responsible for the preparation, submission and processing of the Development Consent Order (DCO) application for the improvements to the A1 Black Cat junction and the new stretch of dual carriageway to the Caxton Gibbett junction.  The application will be submitted by Highways England in 2020.

Black Cat to Caxton Gibbett (A428)

Our role involved the provision of land referencing, land assembly, CPO valuation and CPO advice to both the Council and developer. The scheme proposed was a mixed use development based around a community stadium for a relocation of Brentford Football Club, with associated retail and residential units.

Brentford Football Club: New Stadium Regeneration Scheme

Ardent playing a key role in crucial Romford regeneration project.

Bridge Close, Romford

Ardent was first appointed by Docklands Light Railway Limited (“DLR”) in 1996. For 20 years Ardent exclusively dealt with all land and property matters concerned with the DLR’s network including all extensions and upgrades.

Docklands Light Railway Projects

As a condition of its franchise, Chiltern Railways Limited had the obligation to create a new railway link between London and Oxford at its own cost.

East West Rail – Phase 1

East West Rail will connect communities between Oxford and Cambridge, improving parts of the existing rail network – and building a new section of line, the Central Section, to connect Bedford and Cambridge – to deliver a reliable service for passengers and communities.

East West Rail – Phase 3

United Utilities’ is proposing to acquire the land and rights in order to achieve necessary improvements to the current and future water quality in Salteye Brook.

Eccles Wastewater Treatment Works (EwTW)

Ardent was instructed by Eggborough Power Limited to supply land and property advice, as part of a consortium of multi-disciplinary experts, to support its application for a Development Consent Order (DCO) for the Eggborough Combined Cycle Gas Turbine (CCGT) project (in North Yorkshire) in 2016, and provided continuing support through to 2019.

Eggborough Combined Cycle Gas Turbine

The Emirates Air Line was the first urban cable car system of its kind in the UK and opened to the public in Summer 2012, just 24 months after being announced as a project by London Mayor Boris Johnson.

Emirates Airline (London Cable Car)

To help improve capacity and alleviate congested local railway lines and in turn aid the spread of economic development throughout the UK; the Government launched the UK’s first intercity high speed railway, High Speed 2 (HS2).

HS2 Phase 2b

Ardent was appointed by Knottingley Power Limited in 2013 to provide land and property advice in relation to Knottingley Power’s Combined Cycle Gas Turbine (CCGT) power station.

Knottingley Power

Ardent are appointed by Chelmsford City Council to progress private treaty negotiations of the acquisition of interests on two commercial industrial estates within the regeneration scheme boundary.

Lockside, Chelmsford

The MetroWest Phase 1 project proposes to re-open the Portishead rail line with stations at Portishead and Pill and operate train services to Bristol Temple Meads and beyond.

MetroWest

Following the successful completion of option agreements on the Triton Knoll Electrical System project and the successful consent awarded, Ardent was approached by Vattenfall to provide land services across three of its DCO projects, two in Norfolk (Norfolk Vanguard and Norfolk Boreas) and one in Kent (Thanet Extension).

Norfolk Vanguard & Norfolk Boreas

Solar 21 via North Lincolnshire Green Energy Park Limited (‘NLGEPL’) instructed Ardent in July 2020 to deliver land referencing services to support them in obtaining powers to construct, operate and maintain an Energy Recovery Facility (‘ERF’) which would will be located at Flixborough Industrial Estate near Scunthorpe, North Lincolnshire.

North Lincolnshire Green Energy Park

The Northern Line Extension project involves the construction of two new stations and a new tunnel from Kennington to Battersea. Ardent was appointed by Transport for London (“TfL”) in 2012 to promote the Transport &amp; Works Act Order for the Northern Line Extension to Battersea.

Northern Line Extension

Cory Environmental Holdings Limited (CEHL) instructed Ardent in 2018 to deliver land services to support them in obtaining powers to construct, operate and maintain an integrated energy park.

Riverside Energy Park

Ardent was appointed by Tidal Lagoon Power Ltd in 2013 to provide land and property advice in relation to Swansea Bay Tidal Lagoon.

Swansea Bay Tidal Lagoon

In an effort to reduce the carbon intensity of electrically generated energy, and create sustainable energy production, SSE appointed Ardent’s Atlas and Geospatial Insights (AGI) Directorate, and Ardent’s Land Referencing Directorate to undertake full land referencing activities (including the production of the Land Plans and Book of Reference), for the Keadby 3 Low Carbon Gas Fired Generating Station project.
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The Keadby 3 Low Carbon Gas Fired Generating Station

The M42 Junction 6 improvement was necessary due to the local socioeconomic growth of the area, and a need for improved road links.

The M42 Junction 6 Improvement

On the 16th August, 2021, the Planning Inspectorate accepted for examination the application for ‘The Net Zero Teesside Project’. We are incredibly proud of our team for playing their part in supporting an application for a carbon capture utilisation and storage (CCUS) project that aims to decarbonise a cluster of carbon-intensive businesses. The project was consented in February 2024.

The Net Zero Teesside Project

Sizewell C will be one of the largest and most complex infrastructure projects to be delivered in the UK.

Sizewell C nuclear power station

Ardent was instructed by RWE Innogy UK as land agents and land referencing consultants to provide land and property advice to support its application for a Development Consent Order for the Triton Knoll Electrical System (in Lincolnshire) in 2012 and provided continuing support through to 2017.  Ardent initially carried out Land Referencing over a substantial number of potential route options along with organising access to land for a wide range of ecological and archaeological surveys to feed into the optioneering process informing the final preferred cable route option.

Triton Knoll Electrical System

Whilst the UK looks toward more renewable energy sources, and dismantling coal-fired power stations, part of the overarching policy for energy in this country still maintains the need for gas-fired power stations.

VPI Immingham Open Cycle Gas Turbine

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Projects

Associate Director of Land Referencing

Charlotte Potts

I joined Ardent in April 2015 as an Assistant Surveyor and have since I have since progressed to the position of Senior Consultant. Diverse working environments, a variety of projects, and opportunities for career progression make Ardent a great place to work!

Charlotte Potts, Associate Director of Land Referencing

Assistant Consultant of Land Assembly

Megan Doherty

Having joined Ardent as an Assistant Consultant in Compulsory Purchase and Consents I have gained tangible experience on large scale infrastructure projects, discovering first-hand how Ardent’s services positively impact people and the environment

Megan Doherty, Assistant Consultant of Land Assembly

Director of Compensation

Rachel Trevillion

The company’s flexible working structure has allowed me to continue my career part-time whilst juggling my three young children, where the majority of my contemporaries have had to leave the profession.

Rachel Trevillion, Director of Compensation

Chief Executive Officer

Richard Caten

With the team now exceeding 130 people, Ardent has cemented its place as the market leader in land assembly for major projects. Ardent is a very rewarding place to work and an organisation that recognises and supports talent. I’d encourage anyone to consider Ardent as an employer.

Richard Caten, Chief Executive Officer

Assistant Surveyor of Land Assembly

Ed Bebbington

Ardent has been extremely supportive of my aspiration to become a Chartered Surveyor. The open culture allows me to ask questions, understand other areas of the business, &amp; learn directly from industry leaders.

Ed Bebbington, Assistant Surveyor of Land Assembly

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