landscaping & external finishes 49
Ivy is a particularly robust plant and presents
few challenges regarding maintenance. While screens such as this are usually delivered and installed with plants already growing up them, ivy continues to grow and becomes verdant to deliver what looks like a well-managed ivy hedge, but with the additional security of the wire mesh. Installation of screens is simple and requires
the digging of a trench 400 mm wide by 400 mm deep. The screen is placed into the trench and soil is used to cover the biodegradable pot. They are additionally supported by wooden posts or powder coated metal posts, which also serve to join adjacent screens. The screens have proved a popular solution on
a range of domestic housing developments; from housing association and local authority developments, through to high end luxury developments. When award winning developers Croudace
Portland Homes embarked on a substantial and highly impressive new build project in a prime residential area of Surrey, they turned to Benchmark Landscape of Chelmsford to plan and manage the quality landscaping required to add value to the new development. The new development would see two new five
and six bedroom homes with a value of over £2.5m each, built on a plot of land that previously featured a single house. There was a necessity for a boundary between the new properties, and security was a requirement in the choice of boundary. A hedge would aesthetically suit the development and was preferable to a fence or wall, but would not deliver the required security. Benchmark Landscape specified Green Screens as the solution. In total, 72 screens were used; 40 to create the
required divisional boundary, and another 32 which were used on the front of one of the properties to screen an unsightly wall from an adjacent house. Benchmark Landscape had used screens like this previously and knew they would deliver both the required aesthetic as well as the highest levels of security. In Ashton-Under-Lyne, a derelict site on a
main access route was identified by West Pennine Housing Association for a new-build housing development for local families as part of a larger four part regeneration project. The Stockport Road site had already been awarded with a Green Apple Environmental Award as well as being shortlisted for the Building in Excellence Award. Denovo Designs of Liverpool was the
architect on the Stockport Road project and installed 30 screens at the development. Frank Olchowski, director and lead architect for the project explains why the screens were incorporated into the design: “We specified the screens because of the planning requirement to provide an attractive, rear boundary treatment. The residents of the houses which overlook the site would not want to look onto a brick wall or timber fencing, especially if that type of boundary were to attract graffiti.” He continues: “Screens such as these ecolog-
ically enhance a site and provide a more attractive solution than walls or fences. We also had to comply with the Secured by Design requirement for a minimum height and secure boundary treatment.” Social housing providers increasingly like to
see green technologies used on their developments as they are invaluable in helping councils to ‘green up’ the environment and provide a more stimulating and pleasant environment. Solutions used on projects such as these also provide a deterrent to graffiti and other antisocial behaviour, and offer reduced maintenance costs when compared to other boundary markers such as timber fencing.
Enq. 142
respond online at
www.hbdonline.co.uk
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60