British construction materials group GRS has formed a new joint venture to run a quarry and inert waste disposal business in Surrey. The deal sees Warwickshire-based GRS partner with Guildford firm Down To Earth Developments (DTE), each taking a 50% stake in Alton Road Aggregates (ARA).
Initially the business will operate a single quarry and waste facility off Alton Road near Farnham, but the partners plan to grow the business and already have their sights set on other potential operations across Surrey and Hampshire.
The venture brings together DTE’s operational expertise in mineral extraction and land remediation with GRS’s aggregates and waste trading network. The Alton Road quarry will supply sand to the local market, as well as GRS bagging plants west of London, and take in inert demolition and excavation wastes to restore and landscape the site.
With an operational lifespan of more than 10 years, the partners believe the site is ideal for recycling demolition and excavation waste, diverting as much as possible away from landfill, materials which cannot be recovered would be used to restore the 36-hectare landscape.
Jon Fisher, GRS chief executive, said: “We have been working with the team at DTE for a while so forming a JV is a natural next step for both businesses. It gives us a foothold in this part of the South East and a strong platform for growth, with the potential to turn construction spoil into new aggregate in line with our vision to accelerate circularity in construction.”
Ben Maclean, owner of DTE, said: “We’re proud of our track record in land reclamation and recovery, and we have the expertise, experience and management systems to deliver exemplar schemes. Getting together with GRS is a massive boost to the development and remediation of the Alton Road site and we’ll be working with the local community, councils and agencies to ensure that restoration is to the highest standards for the benefit of people and wildlife alike.”
With a business model based around resource efficiency, GRS is increasingly meeting the UK’s demand for aggregates with secondary materials made from inert wastes. One example is Enviroc granite, a by-product of mining for china clay in Cornwall and Devon, which GRS already ships into London by sea.
The new joint venture is another step in GRS’s growth strategy. Last year the Group formed a joint venture with Devon-based secondary materials specialists Ocean Blocks & Aggregates, and also acquired specialist ground stabilisation contractor Soil Science Ltd ,pioneers of a low-carbon, zero waste and easily reversible soil stabilisation system for temporary enabling works.
