Stabilisation of the Stanton Lees Landslip Using an Embedded Pile Retaining Wall

A landslip occurred near the village of Stanton Lees, Derbyshire, UK, in November 2000 following a prolonged period of heavy rainfall. The slip resulted in the gradual, progressive down-slope movement of a steep embankment that was supporting an existing gabion retaining wall and a minor road which was subsequently closed to vehicular traffic. This paper describes the site; the sequence of events leading up to the start of the landslide; an interpretation of the ground conditions and onsite monitoring data; and the engineering works carried out in order to stabilise the slip and return the road to serviceability. The landslip occurred due to the superficial deposits moving over the weathered bedrock after the groundwater levels had been elevated following a prolonged period of heavy rainfall. A stability analysis indicated that the embankment was at a state of limiting equilibrium and its factor of safety on slope instability was found to be particularly sensitive to fairly minor changes in the groundwater levels. The remedial works replaced the existing gabion wall with a new cantilevered, bored pile retaining wall that comprised two rows of piles (600-mm in diameter), which were staggered in plan arrangement.