Geotechnical & Geoenvironmental Consultants in the North East & Yorkshire
Office in Sunderland, delivering desk studies, ground investigation and design across Newcastle, Durham, Teesside, Northumberland and Yorkshire.
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North East & Yorkshire
4 Admiral Way, Doxford International Business Park, Sunderland, Tyne & Wear, SR3 3XW
Phone: 0191 917 2310
Email: info@northpointgeotechnical.com
Hours: Mon–Fri 08:30–17:00
Specialist Ground Engineering for the North East & Yorkshire
From our Sunderland office we deliver geotechnical and geoenvironmental consulting across Newcastle, Durham, Northumberland, Teesside and Yorkshire. The region’s ground is varied-Coal Measures and historical mine workings, pockets of peat and soft alluvium in river valleys, glacial tills and sands, coastal clays and extensive brownfield Made Ground. Those conditions can introduce settlement, slope and groundwater risks, as well as contamination and ground gas on former industrial land.
Northpoint’s chartered engineers design targeted Phase 1 Desk Studies, Phase 2 Ground Investigation, and buildable foundation and temporary-works design that reflect these local realities and the requirements of BS 5930, Eurocode 7, and NHBC/CIRIA guidance. Whether you’re planning housing on Teesside Made Ground, a school in Durham over coal-field deposits, or commercial units in Leeds, we scope investigations that reduce uncertainty, shorten programmes and control cost.
Typical regional risks we manage:
Coal mining legacy & shallow workings - CMRA and probing, grout-stabilisation or piled solutions.
Brownfield contamination & ground gas - risk assessment, remediation, and gas protection design.
Soft clays/peat & compressible deposits - settlement assessment, ground improvement or piling.
Coastal/alluvial groundwater issues - drainage, SuDS infiltration checks and temporary works.
Chalk/gypsum dissolution (parts of Yorkshire) - hazard screening and foundation strategy.
Explore our Services
Recent Regional Projects
A few North East & Yorkshire highlights that show our local ground risks, methods, and deliverables:
Where We Work in the North East & Yorkshire
Local delivery from our Sunderland office across Newcastle, Durham, Northumberland, Teesside and Yorkshire. Click a location to view relevant work or enquire.
Trusted & Accredited in the North East
To give Sunderland, Newcastle, Durham, Teesside and Northumberland clients complete confidence, our North East & Yorkshire team holds nationally-recognised accreditations that demonstrate safe, compliant delivery in geotechnical engineering, ground investigation and geoenvironmental consultancy. These memberships also make procurement faster for councils, housing associations and principal contractors across the region.
Local Regulations & Ground Context — North East & Yorkshire
Every North East project touches different rules and different ground. Use this quick explorer to see the likely regulators, datasets and typical subsurface conditions we design for across Tyneside, Wearside, Teesside, Durham & the Dales, Northumberland and North Yorkshire.
1) Choose your sub-area
Tyneside (Newcastle, Gateshead, North & South Tyneside)
- Typical ground: Made Ground over Glacial Till; Coal Measures bedrock; river alluvium along Tyne.
- Common risks: shallow coal workings, mine entries, historic landfills/industrial fill, ground gas.
- Design implications: possible piling or ground improvement; gas protection; abutment checks near river terraces.
- Key bodies: Local Planning Authorities above; EA; Coal Authority; Lead Local Flood Authorities; Northumbrian Water; National Highways (A1/A19); Network Rail (where relevant).
Wearside (Sunderland & Seaham corridor)
- Typical ground: Thin drift over Magnesian Limestone; pockets of Made Ground near docks; coastal alluvium.
- Common risks: karstic dissolution features in limestone, coastal erosion zones, historic industrial fills.
- Design implications: careful foundation selection on limestone (solution features); sulfate assessment near fills.
- Key bodies: Sunderland City Council; EA; Coal Authority (west of coast); Northumbrian Water; Marine & coastal consents where applicable.
Teesside (Middlesbrough, Stockton, Redcar & Cleveland, Hartlepool)
- Typical ground: Significant Made Ground over alluvium & tidal deposits; Sherwood Sandstone/Mercia Mudstone locally.
- Common risks: contamination from legacy heavy industry, soft compressible soils, high groundwater, ground gas.
- Design implications: contamination risk assessment/remediation; surcharge or piling; dewatering control; gas membranes.
- Key bodies: Tees Valley LPAs; EA (SPZs on sandstone); Northumbrian Water; Port/harbour orders where applicable.
Durham & the Dales
- Typical ground: Glacial till & river gravels; Coal Measures and limestones to east; peat & drift in uplands.
- Common risks: shallow mining & bell pits, shrink–swell clays in pockets, slope stability on valley sides, peat.
- Design implications: mining risk assessments, slope/earthworks design, peat handling plans, SuDS infiltration checks.
- Key bodies: Durham County Council; EA; Coal Authority; LLFA; Historic England in heritage settings.
Northumberland
- Typical ground: Glaciofluvial sands & gravels; Carboniferous bedrock; coastal dunes & blown sands.
- Common risks: coastal erosion/tidal flooding, local mining legacy, compressible dune sands.
- Design implications: settlement checks on sands, scour/erosion allowances near coast, mining assessments inland.
- Key bodies: Northumberland County Council; EA; Northumbrian Water; Marine/coastal regulators for shoreline sites.
North Yorkshire Coast
- Typical ground: Glacial tills & clays; Jurassic bedrock; estuarine alluvium in lowlands.
- Common risks: coastal landslip & erosion, soft alluvium settlement, sulfate-bearing clays.
- Design implications: slope & retaining design, piling over soft strata, aggressive ground protection to concrete.
- Key bodies: North Yorkshire Council; EA; Yorkshire Water; Marine/coastal consents as relevant.
2) What are you building?
3) Likely approvals & datasets you’ll need
This checklist is indicative. We confirm site-specific requirements through formal enquiries, PAS 128 surveys and a Phase 1 Desk Study.
NEXT STEPS
Discuss Your Project with Our Sunderland Team
Need fast, practical ground advice in Sunderland, Newcastle, Durham, Teesside, Northumberland or Yorkshire? Our local team delivers compliant geotechnical and geoenvironmental support from first look to final sign-off.
Email: info@northpointgeotechnical.com | Tel: 0191 917 2310
Or contact us online to discuss your project requirements.