Artificial Surfaces
Typical gripper rail detail
Typical mower strip rail detail
On site shock pad material - it is important to keep this dry
and planning which will require more time. With the recent health and safety CDM changes, a period of time is also required for sound design solution evaluation and health and safety planning.
Also, experience of carrying out such works can allow you to offer good guidance to clients as to the exact programme that will be required to execute the contract, and it is worth verifying this at tender stage with the contractors selected to tender. This is normally done via the form of tender. Once a programme is developed, it can slot into the overall site calendar and be dovetailed with other works taking place, which is not at all uncommon, especially on school sites in the summer months. Appropriate site signage and marketing and PR information can then be distributed to interested parties so that the programme starts and is run on a positive basis. Regular project meetings throughout the programme can constantly check on project progress in light of the programme itself and any variations from this can quickly be resolved to deliver the project on time and on budget.
Design Improvements
In marketing terms, an upgraded facility can provide real impetus and enthusiasm across a site for existing users and also provide a facility to attract new clients. We have been to many facility handovers over the years and there is a real excitement about a new project and its use across the client group. This is particularly enhanced if the facility is opened and documented via local media etc. When renovating or refurbishing, you have a real opportunity to upgrade the facilities and implement new surface technology or enhance layouts and accessibility. Sometimes, this is carried out in tandem with the installation of additional facilities, such as changing rooms, clubhouses etc., but we tend to focus on the sports facility provision side of things. Surface technology is constantly evolving as new products come onto market and, over time, they become tried and tested. I would always express caution at purchasing the latest fad or idea because, sometimes, these concepts do not
bear fruit over time. The answer, therefore, is to fully understand and evaluate the market and adopt a sports design solution that is well proven or gives a contemporary flavour and a range of contemporary features.
As already mentioned, the site layout and footprint can be revisited to ensure that the underlying engineering system supports any new developments and the footprint is multi-functional and aesthetically pleasing. Site access issues, storage and the welfare of spectators have not always been considered over time and an opportunity is available to enhance this scenario with a revised layout.
Other infrastructure projects, such as floodlights, can really update and upgrade a facility and extend the availability of the pitch well beyond current levels, in the evenings and weekends in particular. A well thought through and planned project, with the assistance of objective competent advice, will deliver results at the other end and ensure that any refurbishment is successful and sustainable.
Governing bodies provide guidance documentation nowadays on appropriate layouts and designs in some instances, and these should also be considered in the context of your site requirements and sporting activity and whether you will need to meet any criteria for funding purposes. In recent months, we have carried out several designs that we feel offer a contemporary view on sports facility provision above and beyond what the market would normally offer. When working independently, sometimes you have the freedom to develop sustainable contemporary solutions that are bang up to date and offer clients a real edge in marketing and PR terms. So much so that we are working with several schools on this as I write.
Planning Issues
Our advice is to never underestimate the influence a planning application and/or planning considerations can have on the duration of a project. This is a very important
area for further investigation and we would always recommend that you take appropriate professional advice as to the exact planning requirements in your particular instance.
Where additional infrastructure impacts on the environment, such as fencing, drainage, hard landscaping, floodlighting etc., this will be considered very carefully by the planning authorities, and it is likely that a formal planning application will need to be made for your project. Specialist planning advice requires expertise and experience of planning law and, therefore, only planning specialists should be approached to offer this advice to you as required. The design solution itself may be influenced by the planning application and planning requirements, so it is important that this process is worked through as part of the overall project development. If a planning application is required, then there are specific time frames in which this information will be considered and acted upon. This, of course, will need to be built into the overall project programme. It can seem rather onerous, especially for refurbishment projects but, unfortunately, is a cost and consideration that should be borne in mind.
Planning law is there to ensure that developed landscapes are managed accordingly and, therefore, can provide an opportunity for a thorough investigation of the site which can actually underpin a successful project scheme. Additional expertise may be required to look at specific items of the external site landscape which all take time and will need planning as part of the overall programme.
The extent to which the planning application will influence the project will depend on the exact scope of works proposed and it should be considered carefully as part of the overall project development.
For a more detailed overview of David’s career to date, please see issue 59 of Pitchcare magazine.
David Rhodes T: 07711 846722 E:
info@tractionsports.co.uk W:
www.tractionsports.co.uk
PC OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2015 I 105
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