COMMERCIAL PROJECTS
Click on the photographs for an enlarged view
Richmond Retirement Village, Letcombe Regis
Client: Richmond Retirement Village
Consultant: Portus + Whitton LLP
Main Contractor: Castle Oak
Location and postcode: OX12
Cotswold Estates and Gardens were first instructed to plant a shelterbelt near Wantage on the former 5 hectare Dow Agrosciences site.
This was at the start of a development by Castleoak on behalf of Richmond Retirement Villages, a community giving personal care from a daily maid service through to 24 hour care. The development consists of the care home, independent and assisted living units, Bowls club, Lakeside restaurant, Wellness Spa and landscaped grounds.
The main part of the development and the landscape work has now been completed. This has included the planting of over 12,000 shrubs and herbaceous plants, 86 heavy and extra heavy standard trees, over 7,500m2 of turfing, native hedges, flowering meadow, native waterside planting to swales and riparian zone and amenity seeding.
In addition, gardens have been constructed for the show homes and marketing lodge as well as a sensory garden for dementia patients. A kitchen garden has also been created with raised beds, paths, greenhouse and compost bins so designed to provide access to those in wheel chairs.
Leckhampton Hill – Restoration of Historic Boundary Wall
The project is to restore 1.3km of the decayed ragstone wall marking the historic boundary of Leckhampton and Charlton Kings Commons, with a new stock-proof dry stone wall utilising locally quarried high quality Cotswold stone. The works comprised scrub clearance and tree works (with Volunteer group involvement) and removal of existing wall remnants together with the excavation of new foundations. Recovered stone is to be recycled as crushed stone for resurfacing carpark areas and eroded footpaths.
Over 20 dry stone wallers with skills ranging from labourer to Master Waller are employed in building the new wall and 10 trainees have completed building a section of the wall as a Level 1 Dry Stone Walling course with the Royal Agricultural College, Cirencester. Some trainees are now employed on Phase 2 of the wall while undertaking Level 2 training!
The project is split into 3 phases to suit funding arrangements. 80% of the project funding is provided by Natural England utilising European Union funds for such environmental projects. The remaining 20% ‘match’ funding being found from other donors, sponsors and funders, such as Friends of Leckhampton (FOLK), the Farming, Wildlife and Agriculture Group(FWAG) and Cotswold Stone Quarries. The Cotswold Way National Trail runs parallel to much of the wall line, which is within the Cotswold Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB), and separates a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) from shelterbelt plantings and intensive agriculture.
The new wall is already providing a habitat for Adders who are readily exploring the crevices and cavities within it. Badger gates are being incorporated into the wall to maintain established access routes across the wall line for the Badgers while excluding rabbits from the farm land. Being stock-proof, the restored wall will allow the proposed introduction of Dexter cattle onto the SSSI to aid its management by controlling scrub development and disturbing the ground in such a way as to provide ideal conditions for plant species colonisation, establishment and diversity maintenance.
This has been a challenging project in its execution, not least due to the weather conditions experienced since the project started in February 2010. Over 2000 tons of stone will be used in the wall’s construction. Some 200m3 of recovered stone will be crushed for re-use, while access is limited to a maximum 7m wide strip along one side of the wall. Public access and Rights of Way must remain open and safe at all times, even though wall construction plant is in constant use sharing such access with walkers, riders, cyclists, adults, children and animals. Meanwhile the SSSI and its content must remain undamaged and wildlife disturbance minimised.
Dinosaur Footprints, Woodstock Museum, Oxfordfordshire
Designer: Portus & Whitton LLP
Cotswold Estates and Gardens was commissioned by Oxfordshire City Council in conjunction with Viridor Waste Management, to install the fossilised footprints that had been cut out of the rock in 2 tonne blocks and lifted into the old walled garden at the back of the Museum.
The project involved constructing a reinforced concrete foundation for the canopy over the footprints and for the 7 metre long dinosaur.
Swindon, Wiltshire
Consultants: Nicholas Pearson Associates
Landscape architects and contract administrators: David Jarvis Associates
www.davidjarvis.biz
Infrastructure planting to residential area of North Swindon. Including hedging with native species, ornamental shrub planting, seeding, turfing, planting of semi mature conifers, native trees and ornamentals with urban tree systems. Also including extensive maintenance.
Dobbies Garden Centre, Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Client: Adonis Construction Ltd
Designer: EDAW
Consultant: Sarah Byrne
Planting designed to create a mature and quality setting for this new development, focusing the attention on the plants by the use of mature specimens, drifts of single species and strong colour themes. Native structure planting was also undertaken on the perimeter bunds and seeding of reinforced grass in the overflow car park.
Beaver House, Swindon, Wiltshire
Client: Trimac Properties
Designer: Cotswold Estates and Gardens Ltd
A challenging design and build contract to transform a steep area of waste ground adjacent to the offices, into an enjoyable seating area for staff to enjoy, as well as providing a desirable setting for the offices. Terracing, sleeper retaining walls and profiled grass and planting, enabled the creation of a level circular area with seating and a bubbling stone water feature. Trees with uplighters also extended the attraction to the new planting and offices into the evening.
Marston Gate, South Marston Park, Swindon, Wiltshire
Client: Moss Construction
Designer: Macgregor Smith Landscape Architects
www.macgregorsmith.co.uk
Semi mature tree and shrub planting to increase the profile of a new development at the entrance to the South Marston Park estate. The semi mature trees, including some large pines, were sourced in containers to enable planting out of season. This is one of two similar contracts undertaken for Moss Construction and designed by Macgregor Smith, both within the park.
We also undertake the ongoing maintenance of this contract.
Minton Place, Swindon, Wiltshire
Designer: Cotswold Estates and Gardens Ltd
Another design and build contract to provide a new prestigious entrance to an existing office development. Mature fastigiate Yews highlight the entrance, whilst simple shingle with large granite boulders and low yew hedging provide the feeling of quality in this new space.
South Marston Park, Swindon, Wiltshire
Client: Vickers Properties Ltd
For a period of eighteen years we were responsible for all the soft landscape aspects for new developments and the Park's significant infrastructure. This included the design for Planning Approvals. Our involvement included the ongoing maintenance for many of the plots and for the infrastructure.
We also undertake the ongoing maintenance of this contract.
The Midlands Co-operative Ltd, Carterton, Oxfordshire
Client: Oxford, Swindon and Gloucester Co-operative
Designer: Simon Richards & Associates
Semi mature avenues of Betula Tristis set off this modern supermarket development with upright Prunus Amanogawa breaking through a curved canopy entrance walkway. Tree and shrub planting designed to enhance the carpark and the supermarket frontage.