Expert Support and Training

YearClientDescription of Project
Career Expert Witness experienceVariousActed as an expert witness in public inquiries and as a technical expert to ensure the withdrawal of planning appeals:

- Pitsea Landfill public inquiry (1976): appeal Vs refusal; acting for appellants; prepared evidence; successful

- Isle of Man refuse incinerator* (1990-1991): appeal Vs permission; acting for appellants; gave evidence; successful

- Lodden Valley landfill extension* (1991-1992): appeal Vs permission; ; acting for appellants; gave evidence; successful

- Isles of Scilly landfill for Duchy of Cornwall (1990-1991): appeal Vs application by Council; acting for land owner; prepared evidence; successful

Managed (1993-1994) the team of experts for the UK Royal Insurance company which was challenged in the High Court by Coalite Chemicals to indemnify for losses associated with the alleged release of dioxins and furans onto farmland adjacent to their plant in Derbyshire. Releases were allegedly from the activities of the on-site high temperature waste incinerator. The claim was settled one day before going to trial.

Acted as an Appointed Expert for Solvay Interox in a post-demerger arbitration dispute with the former merger partner, Laporte Industries, that involved the firm’s peroxide manufacturing facility in Warrington and a second equally large ex-chemicals manufacturing facility located on the Chalk near Luton.

Cost pass through claim resolution for contracted landfill services provision by the claimant acting on 2 occasions 2005-2007 and 2010 on behalf of the claim recipient, Oxfordshire County Council.
2009-2010UNEP Post Conflict and Post Disaster BranchParticipated in the United Nations Environment Programme programme to independently assess the environmental impact of oil-field contamination in the Ogoni Region of south-east Nigeria. Project managed the task to identify the range of possible full-scale remediation technologies available commercially for oil-contaminated soils and sediments in Ogoniland and to present their indicative costs, resource requirements, environmental footprint and possible output specifications.
2009Steria plcDesign and presentation of a one-day EMS awareness training workshop to staff and graduate trainees of Steria plc, at their Hemel Hempstead HQ on behalf of DNV Training. The workshop included a site tour of the 400-employee facility.
2007-2009W&S RecyclingInterim manager in the design and implementation of a certifiable environmental management system at the Millhams Household Recycling Centre and other HRCs for Dorset-based W&S Recycling that commenced in January 2007. The stages of implementation involved the design and presentation of a series of four EMS training workshops and conducting internal audits. The site was certified to ISO 14001: 2004 by BSI in August 2008 (certificate number EMS 534486).
2004-2005UNEPEnvironmental site assessment capacity building as part of the programme to improve environmental governance in Iraq

Prepare and deliver capacity building Workshops in Amman, Jordan and Geneva for UNEP to introduce the theory and practice of Environmental Site Assessment to Iraqi environmental professionals delegated by the Iraqi Ministry of Environment. Workshop 1 included a one-day ‘hands-on’ initial ESA of a quarry and cement plant near Amman. Workshop 2 included training in the use of field monitoring and testing equipment for use by the delegates at 5 selected pilot conflict-damaged contaminated sites in Iraq. Sampling and analysis plans for the pilot sites were jointly prepared early in 2005. The 4th workshop on risk assessment will be in June 2005.
2004UNEPEnvironmental awareness raising workshop for the UNEP Iraq rebuilding programme

The preparation and delivery of 5 one-hour talks on environmental subjects at a capacity-building workshop for Iraqi environmental engineers as part of the country rebuilding programme commissioned by the Post-Conflict Assessment Unit of UNEP in Geneva.
2001BWB PartnershipSenior Technical Reviewing and Mentoring

Acted as a senior technical reviewer and mentor in the environmental group of a leading Midlands-based UK-focussed engineering & environmental consultancy becoming involved in the completion and issue of reports for four projects and working closely with a number of the company’s environmental consultants. The role also involved mentoring in the approach to conducting and reporting two environmental due diligence assessments – leading on one and shadowing on the second.
1985-2003VariousExpert Witness Experience Acted as an expert witness in public inquiries and as a technical expert to ensure the withdrawal of planning appeals (won on all occasions: * gave evidence):

- Pitsea Landfill public inquiry (1976)

- Isle of Man refuse incinerator* (1990-1991)

- Lodden Valley landfill extension* (1991-1992)

- Isles of Scilly landfill for Duchy of Cornwall (1990-1991)

Employed (1996-1998) as the Appointed Expert for the Solvay Group in a post-demerger arbitration dispute with the former merger partner Laporte Industries. The role involved proving that contamination at the operating site occurred during or before the period of the merger. The parties settled just before formal arbitration proceedings were scheduled to commence.

Managed (1993-1994) the team of experts for the UK Royal Insurance company which was challenged in the High Court by Coalite Chemicals to indemnify for losses associated with the alleged release of dioxins and furans onto farmland adjacent to their plant in Derbyshire. The claim was settled one day before going to trial.