Seaham Garden Village

Supplying a bulk earthworks package for a large housing development

Miller Homes, a national housebuilder with 91 sites across the country, appointed MGL Earthworks to undertake a residential earthworks project for their latest house-building site in the north-east of England.

The development is one of the largest in the region, with plans for up to 1,500 new homes, extensive green space and a new primary school. For MGL Earthworks, the project represented its first dedicated residential earthworks contract, providing an opportunity to demonstrate its capability in a new sector while laying the foundations for a long-term partnership with Miller Homes. With future phases and opportunities dependent on a successful outcome, it was essential that the works were delivered safely, efficiently and to the highest standard.

Scope of the project

The site spans 77.75 hectares of former agricultural land previously used for arable farming and grazing pasture. When the team inherited the site, it required vegetation clearance, the removal of trees, stumps and root systems, topsoil stripping, and bulk earthworks, all in preparation for future roads, sewers and housing plots.

Managing complex earthworks and site constraint

Unlike a traditional bulk excavation project, the residential development required numerous isolated cuts to retaining walls and individual plots, each with varying finished levels. This created a more complex earthworks package, requiring precise excavation and grading to achieve the levels specified within the Miller Homes site layout. With an unexpected dry spell hitting the County Durham area, additional dust suppression measures had to be implemented to reduce nuisance for existing homeowners who had already moved into the plot.

Project delivery in line with client requirements

Prior to commencing works, the team carried out a topographical survey to develop a digital earthworks model using the client’s proposed levels. The model provided the team with a clear understanding of where material needed to be excavated, reused and placed, enabling the works to be sequenced in line with the client’s build programme. Using a digital earthworks model and GPS machine control technology, MGL Earthworks delivered the required site levels accurately and efficiently, ensuring the formation for roads, sewers and housing plots were prepared for the next phase of construction.

This approach worked well for this project as we could carefully manage the cut-and-fill balance across the site, ensuring material excavated from higher areas was reused in areas requiring fill. By maximising the reuse of site-won material, the team reduced the need for imported fill and off-site disposal, improving efficiency, minimising vehicle movements and helping maintain the project programme. Throughout the project, weekly coordination meetings were held with the client and project stakeholders to ensure works progressed in line with programme requirements and that completed plots were released in accordance with the client’s construction schedule.

Outcomes of the project

The project was successfully delivered within the client’s six-week programme, leading to further opportunities to support Miller Homes developments across the North East.

Over the 6 weeks:

• A total of 41,665m² of topsoil was stripped across the site as part of the earthworks programme.
• 2,100m³ of vegetation was stripped from the site and stockpiled.- A total of 12,500m³ of topsoil was hauled and stockpiled for reuse across the development site.
• Approximately 13,300m³ of material was regraded through cut-to-fill operations, achieving the required site levels while minimising off-site disposal.
• An area of 58,410m² was trimmed and compacted to formation level in preparation for the future installation of roads, sewers, and development plots.
• Implemented plate testing for roads, which was completed every 25 metres. 

Successful project delivery

The successful delivery of the Seaham Garden Village earthworks package marked an important milestone for MGL Earthworks, representing the business’s first dedicated residential earthworks project. Despite challenges from varying plot levels, complex sequencing requirements, and working alongside the client’s groundworks team, the project was completed safely, efficiently, and to the required specification.

By combining careful planning, digital modelling and effective material management, the team prepared the site for the next phase of construction while maintaining programme requirements. The successful outcome demonstrated MGL Earthworks’ capability to operate within the residential development sector and established a strong foundation for future opportunities with housebuilders and developers across the region.