Case study 3: Commercial redevelopment (city centre site)
Project overview
A commercial property developer engaged CDI Olfacta during the acquisition due diligence phase for a city centre site earmarked for mixed-use redevelopment. The site had a fragmented ownership history spanning several decades with former uses including retail, storage and light commercial activity.
A desktop review and review of adjoining site records raised concerns about Japanese knotweed risk prior to purchase. The implications were immediate and significant:
• Potential impact on acquisition valuation and lender approval
• Risk of planning objection on environmental grounds
• Exposure to remediation liability if knotweed was present and undisclosed
• Programme risk ahead of planned demolition and enabling works
The developer needed verified findings before contracts were signed.
The challenge
City centre sites carry a distinct knotweed risk profile:
- Former commercial use often masks historic dumping and soil importation
- Hard-standing and built structures limit visibility of rhizome activity
- Boundary interfaces with neighbouring occupiers create cross-boundary liability
- Acquisition timelines leave no room for inconclusive or delayed survey results
Standard walkover surveys cannot deliver the certainty required at the pace that commercial transactions demand.
Our approach
City centre transactions move fast. CDI Olfacta structured its detection methodology to deliver verified findings within the timeline.
1. Site Iitelligence & risk mapping
- Desktop review of historical land use, planning records and aerial imagery
- Identification of boundary interfaces and high-risk zones including former yard areas and service routes
- Inspection plan developed around site access constraints and transaction programme
2. Phased on-site inspection
- Visual assessment across all accessible ground including perimeter margins and exposed soil areas
- Assessment of hard-standing edges and drainage channels for surface indicators
- Prioritisation of zones for canine deployment based on risk profile
3. Canine detection deployment (full site sweep)
- Dogs deployed across all flagged zones and areas of restricted visibility
- Focus on boundary margins, former yard areas and any ground disturbed during pre-sale activity
- Detection completed within a single site attendance to meet transaction deadlines
4. Targeted verification
- All canine alerts assessed and mapped against site conditions
- Risk confirmed or ruled out with clear spatial reference for legal and valuation purposes
- Neighbouring boundary interfaces documented where cross-boundary spread was a possibility
5. Developer-ready reporting
- Findings structured to support lender due diligence and solicitor requirements
- Documentation formatted for inclusion in the acquisition pack
- Delivered within the agreed programme to avoid any delay to exchange
The findings
The inspection identified:
- No Japanese knotweed present across the main development footprint
- A single area of suspected historic activity identified along a rear boundary
- Adjoining land flagged as a potential future risk requiring monitoring post-acquisition
Canine detection provided conclusive results across areas where access restrictions had made visual assessment impractical.
The outcome
- Acquisition proceeded with verified environmental evidence supporting lender approval
- Remediation liability was quantified and factored into the purchase negotiation
- The developer entered the transaction with a defensible due diligence trail in place
- Risk was identified and managed before contracts were signed
Commercial impact
Without early detection the developer faced:
- Unquantified remediation liability affecting valuation and lender confidence
- Risk of post-acquisition discovery leading to programme disruption and cost overrun
- Potential planning objection on environmental grounds after purchase
- Precision – risk isolated to one boundary area leaving the main site clear
- Speed – full site assessed within the acquisition timeline
- Cost control – liability quantified before purchase rather than discovered after
- Confidence – documentation ready for lenders, solicitors and planners
CDI
Smarter detection. Earlier insight. Better decisions.
Across Ireland, hidden risks undermine projects, budgets and long-term asset performance.
Corrosion and Japanese knotweed rarely reveal themselves early. They grow exponentially until damage is costly, hazardous, disruptive and increasingly difficult to control. Our specialist detection dogs identify risks at the earliest possible stage, giving you clarity long before traditional methods are able to confirm a problem.
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