AN OTLEY engineering consultant’s work on a coastal wildlife project has earned him one of the industry’s highest awards.

Dr Martin Cross, a former Prince Henry’s Grammar School student, was awarded the George Stephenson Gold Medal by the Institution for Civil Engineers on Monday, October 8.

The honour was bestowed in recognition of his contribution to the Wallasea Island Wild Coast scheme in Essex.

The project involved transforming 670 hectares of farmland back into coastal marshland, which represented a massive engineering challenge.

Almost half of the excavated tunnelling material from the London Crossrail project, more than 3 million tonnes, was shipped to Wallasea Island for the work.

That recycled material was then used to raise land levels by about 1.5m to create Europe’s largest wetland nature reserve.

The award judges said Dr Cross’s work ‘exemplified the principles underpinning the circular economy, which is moving from a system of waste to one of endless resourcefulness’.

The project also included the creation of an innovative flood defence system, incorporating new seawalls, to protect vulnerable coastal areas.

The Royal Protection of Birds (RSPB), which teamed up with Crossrail on the scheme, hopes the new nature reserve will see the return to England of lost breeding populations of species like spoonbills and Kentish Plovers.

Dr Cross said he was ‘delighted’ to receive the George Stephenson Gold Medal and believes the full benefits of the ‘circular economy’ approach have yet to be appreciated.

He said: “Further research is required in relation to the broader implications of the sustainable management of excavated soil and rock, particularly relating to large-scale infrastructure projects.

“Few studies have been carried out on the potential carbon per tonne saving on large infrastructure projects for reusing excavated soil and rock, and more research is required to clarify the environmental and economic benefits.”

Crossrail’s Chief Executive, Andrew Wolstenholme, added: “This trailblazing partnership with the RSPB is a key part of Crossrail’s sustainability strategy and shows that the construction industry and environmental groups can benefit both the economy and the environment.”

Dr Cross has worked in civil engineering contracting and consultancy, specialising in geotechnical engineering and engineering geology, for more than 35 years.

Other major projects he has worked on include the Channel Tunnel, the London Underground Station Upgrade and the Crossrail and Thames Tideway Tunnel.