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On Line Automated Preliminary Unexploded Ordnance Risk Assessment
Project: Greenwich Peninsula
Report prepared by BACTEC International Limited and FIND Mapping Limited Report reference: 300116

On-Line Automated Preliminary Unexploded Ordnance Risk Assessment
in respect of
Greenwich Peninsula
Contents
1. Introduction 2
2. Search Results 4
3. Conclusions 7
4. Risk of UXO based on bombing density 8
5. Risk of UXO based on blitz strikes 9
6. Risk of UXO based on 250m gridded bomb damage 10
This document was written by, belongs to and is copyright to BACTEC International Limited. It contains valuable BACTEC proprietary and
confidential information which is disclosed only for the purposes of the client’s assessment and evaluation of the project which is the subject
of this report. The contents of this document shall not, in whole or in part (i) be used for any other purposes except such assessment and
evaluation of the project; (ii) be relied upon in any way by the person other than the client (iii) be disclosed to any member of the client’s
organisation who is not required to know such information nor to any third party individual, organisation or government, or (iv) be copied or
stored in any retrieval system nor otherwise be reproduced or transmitted in any form by photocopying or any optical, electronic, mechanical
or other means, without prior written consent of the Managing Director, BACTEC International Limited, 37 Riverside, Sir Thomas Longley
Road, Rochester, Kent, ME2 4DP, United Kingdom to whom all requests should be sent. Accordingly, no responsibility or liability is
accepted by BACTEC towards any other person in respect of the use of this document or reliance on the information contained within it,
except as may be designated by law for any matter outside the scope of this document.
Report prepared by BACTEC International Limited and FIND Mapping Limited Report reference: 300116
Page

1. Introduction
Established in 1991, BACTEC International Limited supports the UK construction industry by
assessing the risk of encountering items of unexploded ordnance (UXO) during intrusive works.
BACTEC’s specialist advice provides essential information for risk assessment, improves safety,
enhances reputation and helps contractors to avoid costly delays.
The risk of encountering UXO on most sites in the UK is low. However, where a site is at increased
risk it will be necessary to take measures to mitigate that risk. The factors affecting risk assessment
are based upon the history and previous usage of a site and its surroundings.
In 2009, the Construction Industry Research and Information Association (CIRIA) established a set of
guidelines to assist industry professionals. CIRIA recommends a four stage risk management
process:
• Preliminary risk assessment
• Detailed risk assessment
• Risk mitigation
• Implementation
The preliminary risk assessment enables a non-UXO specialist to place a site in context and to
identify where a more detailed assessment is necessary. The assessment is based upon data
obtained from desktop reviews of the site’s history and its proximity to potential indicators for UXO
contamination.
There are two principal sources of UXO risk within the UK:
• Ministry of Defence (MoD) activities
• Bombs and projectiles from WWI and WWII
MoD activities include munitions deposited during training exercises, munitions dumped or disposed
of ineffectively, Allied wartime activities, defensive installations etc.
• Abandoned Bombs
• Historic Army Camps
• Army Explosive Ordnance Clearance Tasks/Recces
• Bombing Decoy Sites
• Heavy Anti-Aircraft Batteries
• Military Airfield Sites
Report prepared by BACTEC International Limited and FIND Mapping Limited Report reference: 300116

• Press Articles regarding UXO Finds
• Military Training Areas and Firing Ranges
• BACTEC Desk-top Threat Assessments
• Prisoner of War Camps
• Sites related to the Manufacture of Explosives and Explosive Ordnance
• BACTEC Unexploded Ordnance
• WWII Bombing Density
• WWII Defence Related Positions & Pillboxes
• Pipe Mined WWII Airfields
• Miscellaneous WWII Pipe Mined Locations
• BACTEC On-Site Support Services
Established in 2006, FIND Maps Limited is a pioneering web mapping and spatial data technology
company offering online mapping and consultancy services.
www.findmaps.co.uk is an excellent example of what FIND can deliver. The portal currently provides
detailed mapping and a wealth of data sets to hundreds of the UK’s top property, environmental and
design/build companies.
FIND’s consultancy services provide bespoke internet mapping solutions to a range of businesses,
enabling them to manage their spatial data more effectively.
While working closely with a wide range of reputable data providers including Ordnance Survey and
the Environment Agency, FIND works independently of these organisations. A similar arm’s-length
relationship is maintained in terms of software and hardware providers. This enables the team at
FIND to offer truly independent advice.
Methodology
BACTEC and FIND have compiled a geo-referenced database of potential sources of UXO risk within
the UK. From this information a range of risk zones have been defined. The weighting of these
zones is based upon the influence of all relevant factors. An airfield, for example, has a far greater
zone of influence than a single anti-aircraft battery.
An online preliminary automated UXO risk assessment will determine the potential level of UXO risk
relating to a site. The assessment will list all factors contributing to this weighting. Importantly, it will
also give appropriate recommendations for further action where this is indicated.
Report prepared by BACTEC International Limited and FIND Mapping Limited Report reference: 300116

2. Search Results
Within 10km of the site the following potential sources of explosive ordnance have been recorded:
Source
Military Airfield Sites 1
Abandoned Bombs 47
Press Articles regarding UXO Finds 3
WWII Defence Related Positions & Pillboxes 1
Historic Army Camps 8
Prisoner of War Camps 4
Heavy Anti-Aircraft Batteries 24
Army Explosive Ordnance Clearance Tasks/Reccess 45
Sites Related to the Manufacture of Explosives and Explosive Ordnance 10
BACTEC Desk-top Threat Assessments 407
Number within
10km
Bombing Decoy Sites None recorded
Military Training Areas and Firing Ranges None recorded
Pipe Mined WWII Airfields None recorded
Miscellaneous WWII Pipe Mined Locations None recorded
BACTEC Unexploded Ordnance Finds None recorded
BACTEC On-Site Support Services None recorded
Of these sources, the following are deemed significant enough to be a risk and therefore warrant
further research:
Abandoned Bombs
Description
1 x 50kg HE. LMS Goods Yard, West India Dock. Exact location 1.4
unknown.
Approximate distance (km)
from site
An Abandoned Bomb (AB) is a suspected unexploded WWII bomb or anti-aircraft projectile recorded
during 1940-1945, but not definitively located/removed at the time.
A typical post-air raid survey of buildings, facilities and installations included a search for evidence of
bomb entry holes. Where entry holes were identified, a bomb disposal team would usually be called
upon to locate, render safe and dispose of any unexploded bomb (UXB). However, when the position
of a UXB was considered relatively benign, where access was problematic or resources short, the
UXB may not have been exposed and rendered safe. Such incidents were noted AB.
Report prepared by BACTEC International Limited and FIND Mapping Limited Report reference: 300116

Given the inaccuracy of WWII records the location of ABs cannot be considered definitive. The
geographic location of ABs must therefore be regarded as approximate.
Army Explosive Ordnance Clearance Tasks/Reccess
Location
Baseswift Ltd, Hoskins Street, Greenwich 1.1
Transporter Yard, Isle Of Dogs, E14 1.4
Approximate distance (km)
from site
The site lies within or close to an area where a military clearance operation has been recorded. A
clearance operation can describe anything from the recovery of a single item of ordnance found by a
member of the public to large scale tasks involving detailed surveys.
Specific research is recommended in order to ascertain the scale of the clearance operation. This
would include the type and quantity of ordnance recovered.
Records of a clearance task may indicate a history of military presence in an area. This history
increases the risk that further munitions may be present.
Sites Related to the Manufacture of Explosives and Explosive Ordnance
Facility Name
Brunner Mond and Co Ltd, Crescent Wharf/Venesta Wharf, North 2
Woolwich Road, Silvertown, Great War 1915-17, Explosives factory -
Vacuum Oil Co Ltd, Millwall, Great War, oil distillery - mineral jelly 2.1
Approximate distance (km)
from site
During both WWI and WWII many factories were established (or existing sites converted) to produce
explosives and/or fill ordnance with explosive and chemical constituents. These ranged from small
engineering works to large National Filling Factories (WWI) and Royal Ordnance Factories (WWII).
The site of the proposed works lies in the vicinity of one of these facilities.
For a factory producing casings, for example, the associated risk is negligible. However, on sites
handling or producing explosive and chemical weapons the risk of soil contamination can be high.
Disposal areas (often on site boundaries) can pose considerable risk. The history of the facility
should be more fully researched.
Report prepared by BACTEC International Limited and FIND Mapping Limited Report reference: 300116

Press Articles regarding UXO Finds
Description Article Approximate Article Appendix
Id distance from
UXB, between Millharbour and Limeharbour, PA028 1.2 Click here to view article
Isle of dogs, London
BACTEC has compiled a database of press articles relating to unexploded ordnance finds in the UK.
The site is close to an incident where an item of unexploded ordnance was discovered.
Quite often items of unexploded ordnance do not exist in isolation. The discovery of one or a cache
of items often indicates the presence of additional items. It is recommended that further details about
the incident be obtained.
BACTEC On-Site Support Services
Description
site
9229 0.2
9006 0.7
9546 0.7
9591 0.8
9146 0.8
9069 0.9
Approximate distance (km)
from site
BACTEC has provided on-site support to many hundreds of sites in the UK involving search and clear
operations, EOD Engineer support and both intrusive and non-intrusive magnetometry surveys.
Report prepared by BACTEC International Limited and FIND Mapping Limited Report reference: 300116

3. Conclusions
Risk levels - British unexploded ordnance
High
There are significant potential sources of UXO recorded in BACTEC’s historical database in proximity
to the site. It is recommended that further research is undertaken to determine more about these
sources and to what degree they may have affected the site. Given the proximity and significance of
these sources, the risk on site from UXO is considered to be High.
Risk levels – UXB based on bombing density
High
Historical records indicate an overall high bombing density for the borough in which the site lies, high
levels of damage ascribed to structures in the area (serious damage to total destruction), and a bomb
strike(s) recorded within 50m of the site on the London ARP bomb census maps.
Where high bomb damage and bomb strikes are recorded, there is a likelihood that rubble and debris
was present which could have obscured entry holes of UXBs.
As a result, this preliminary assessment has identified a High risk from air-delivered UXO at this site.
Recommendation - based on highest risk
High
This preliminary assessment has resulted in an overall High risk from UXO. BACTEC would
recommend that a full Explosive Ordnance Desktop Study is undertaken for this site.
Detailed assessments are conducted offline by BACTEC’s researchers and use information such as
historical mapping, WWII-era aerial photography, written air-raid precaution records and where
necessary local archive research to fully qualify the risk on site. Land use, changes to building layout
during WWII and post war redevelopment will also have an impact on any remaining level of risk from
UXO/UXB. It is often possible to ‘zone’ sites into different risk categories. The lead time for a detailed
assessment will vary between 3-10 working days dependent upon the complexity of the site and the
additional site specific information required.
Report prepared by BACTEC International Limited and FIND Mapping Limited Report reference: 300116

Risk of UXO based on bombing density
Crown Copyright 2012. All rights reserved. Licence Number 1000047514
Greenwich Peninsula
Negligible
Low
Medium
High
Report reference: 300116
1:20000
0 400
800
Report prepared by BACTEC International Limited and FIND Mapping Limited Report reference: 300116
Metres

Risk of UXO based on blitz years 1940 & 1941 bomb strikes
Crown Copyright 2012. All rights reserved. Licence Number 1000047514
Greenwich Peninsula
Blitz bomb strikes
with 50m Buffer
Report reference: 300116
1:5000
0 100
200
Report prepared by BACTEC International Limited and FIND Mapping Limited Report reference: 300116
Metres

Risk of UXO based on WWII bomb damage to buildings
Crown Copyright 2012. All rights reserved. Licence Number 1000047514
Greenwich Peninsula
V1 strikes
V2 strikes
Low
Medium
High
Report reference: 300116
1:5000
0 100
200
Report prepared by BACTEC International Limited and FIND Mapping Limited Report reference: 300116
Metres