Established 2004

Ruddlesden geotechnical

Ruddlesden geotechnical provides ground investigation, geotechnical consultancy and contamination assessment services.

Based in Exeter, but covering the whole of the UK, albeit primarily concentrated in the South West, Ruddlesden geotechnical was formed in 2004.

Ruddlesden geotechnical works on behalf of a wide client base, including local, regional and national housing developers, housing associations, commercial developers, building contractors, structural and civil engineers, architects, building consultants, quantity surveyors, local authorities and private individuals.

Development projects range from single dwellings and extensions to large housing estates, multi-storey flats, offices, industrial units, roads, slopes, schools, hospitals and basements.

The services and projects listed on this web-site provide an indication of those undertaken by Ruddlesden geotechnical, but others are carried out. If your requirement is not readily identifiable on this web-site, please contact us as we may still be able to help you.

  • AGS
  • Constructionline
  • CSCS
  • SMAS
  • ECFC trust
  • Latest news

    05 Oct 2026

    Everything you always wanted to know about soakaway testing and groundwater monitoring*

    Everything you always wanted to know about soakaway testing and groundwater monitoring* (*but were afraid to ask).This was the title of a recent lunchtime CPD presentation that Simon and Callum recently gave to a company of drainage and civil engineers. Whilst the pun in the title, taken from a Woody Allen film, might have been lost on many of the audience, its content certainly wasn’t. I am all for sharing what we know, particularly if it takes less than an hour, over lunch, and especially if it helps make all of our lives easier and to the benefit of others. Whilst standing up in front of a room and talking for around 40 minutes isn’t my idea of fun, the benefits are great and many, so we are happy to provide a similar talk to others, if anyone fancies it.    Providing a pizza lunch is optional, but always helps with our availability!

    Everything you always wanted to know about soakaway testing and groundwater monitoring*
    Everything you always wanted to know about soakaway testing and groundwater monitoring*
  • Recent projects

    Mining Supervision, Somerset

    Following a coal mining risk assessment, which indicated the proposed residential development site in Kingswood, Bristol, to potentially be at risk from historical coal mining, a geotechnical investigation was undertaken to ascertain the depth (and thickness) of any historical mine workings. The geotechnical investigation and updated coal mining risk assessmentindicated that remedial works were required to guarantee the safety of end users and serviceability of the structures, as the shallow depth of the historical workings meant that the site was at risk from crown-hole collapse. As construction works had already commenced, the only option to avoid the demolition of the newly built houses/ flats was to consolidate the mine workings, to remove the risk of collapse. Ruddlesden designed the remedial works, which comprised a number of boreholes on a fixed grid surrounding the footprint of the part-constructed building, and appointed a specialist contractor to undertake the grouting. Ruddlesden geotechnical supervised the remedial works throughout and signed off the works on completion.

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  • Recent projects

    Combined Geotechnical Consultancy Services Provided for Residential Development, Devon

    Ruddlesden geotechnical has provided a combination of several geotechnical consultancy services for a large and on-going residential development site in Torbay. The geology of clay underlain limestone has resulted in a number of geotechnical hazards, primarily associated with solution features in the limestone, which have had implications on foundations, drainage and excavations. Using information obtained from a combination of geophysics, trial pits, dynamic sampling/ windowless sample boreholes and rotary boreholes, foundation recommendations have locally included reinforcement and widening to reduce ground bearing pressures. Deep bore soakaways have been recommended to avoid the potential wash-out of near surface soils, which might be caused by conventional soakaways in these ground conditions. In addition, terracing of a slope in part of the site generated significant quantities of soil. Rather than disposing of this at landfill, a material re-use suitability assessment was undertaken, which allowed an earthworks specification to be produced, which itself enabled ground levels to be raised on another area of the site, reducing the need to mechanically break-out near-surface bedrock for excavations.

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