Alice and Stuart had a busy couple of days in Morpeth recently as they helped present and staff the preliminary design proposals for the town’s flood alleviation scheme. Two events were organised in association with the Environment Agency and Northumberland County Council. A town-wide event held at Morpeth Town Hall saw an estimated 100 people through the door to learn the good news that the scheme had received £21million of funding and that detail design had commenced. The next day a drop-in session held in the highly attractive High Stanners part of town explored the preliminary proposals with at least 80 residents braving the heavy rain to attend.

Stuart Ryder – Director

The two trees have gone! We’ve had the corporate lumberjacks in and they have felled our trees to make place for our new, ‘swish’ logo – green and dynamic just like us. The new image is part of a re-branding exercise we are rolling out that includes new marketing material and increased business to business contact.

We are currently working on the 3d ground model of the Cherwell Country Park in Key Terra Firma and Sketchup to form an accurate representation of the current ground conditions on site. The area illustrated was extensively quarried for clay which was used to construct the flood embankment core. Over 170,000 metres cubed of material was dug out. Consequently reinstatement back to the original condition would be costly as a large amount of material would have to be imported to fill the void left. Topographical surveys and 3d ground models have been produced to aid in identifying areas where existing stockpiles of waste material produced by the Banbury FAS scheme could be positively used. The model has aided the design process in determining primary areas where ground work will be required and the most accessible routes around the Cherwell Country Park.

Suresh Collett

Landscape Architect

Proposed path routes were indicated on the model to show areas that required ground work to allow the path to be constructed.

Banbury Flood Alleviation Scheme finally got underway on site back in February 2011 and is due to be completed in summer 2012. As part of the scheme, RLC were asked to design a new Country Park that would connect areas that were used by the flood defence scheme. The two main areas were Wildmere Industrial estate woodland, formerly inaccessible to the public and a parcel of land adjacent to the M40 that was used to excavate the clay used to construct the flood embankment. Ordinarily, the Environment Agency would seek to reinstate areas used by the flood defence scheme back to their former condition, but in collaboration with Cherwell District Council the opportunity to develop the area into a country park for Banbury was too appealing.

RLC have worked closely with The Environment Agency and Cherwell District Council to design a broad strategic Masterplan of the area and implement parts where funding has been available. Below are a series of photos of the new woodland footpath at Wildmere Industrial Estate that is currently being constructed.  The area will also benefit from new planting to enhance the existing woodland and also a series of wildlife scrape that will bring ecological diversity to the area. This will eventually link up to other parts of the proposed country park.

Suresh Collett

Lanscape Architect

Construction of the Wildmere Industrial woodland path

New planting enhancements at Wildmere Woodland

Excavation of the wildlife scrape

This is when we realised just how big it was going to be!

It's finally landed and taking shape nicely!

Over the past few weeks the residents of Shaw, Oldham will have noticed a new addition to their park and they wouldn’t be blamed for thinking something ‘out of this world’ has landed in their little neighbourhood! Yes, the DUNWOOD PARK CLIMBING BOULDER has finally landed and has made a bit more of an impression than first envisaged.

The boulder is the result of a successful Stage 2 Heritage Lottery Fund Bid in 2010 by Oldham Council supported by Ryder Landscape Consultants (RLC). The works, which are currently onsite, include the restoration of key historic park features, the enhancement of recreational facilities for the local community and improvements to a main avenue through the park adjacent to the River Beal. RLC are acting as Contract Administrator on behalf of Oldham Council for the duration of the site works. We are now approximately half way through the construction phase and the park improvements are really starting to take shape (expect more blog entries as works progress!).

It isn’t just the park that’s getting a face lift. LEP Architects have been working on two new community building within the park and we have been working closely with them to ensure their successful integration into the wider proposals.

The boulder is the centre piece of a new woodland playscape and has been designed to include a number of different climbing routes of varying degrees of difficulty. Once the onsite installation is complete and it’s been given a paint job (to make it look like rock!) the RLC team will be taking a trip to Oldham to try it out for ourselves, we’ll be reporting back on how we got on in the near future…..watch this (outer) space.

Jonathan Miley

A very successful drop-in session which we helped to organise and staff to promote the Water End Flood Alleviation Scheme in York, currently being undertaken by the Environment Agency.

Previous engagement events where met with little interest so this latest one was moved to St Barnabas School Hall to capture the school pick-up crowd. Over 70 people attended during the 4 hour event and were able to meet the design team for the scheme and discuss other aspects of flood warning and flood-proofing their properties.

We also designed the scheme information boards that were used at the event using our in house Graphic Designer.

The overall response to the scheme was positive and we look forward to working further with the Environment Agency to help mitigate the adverse environmental impacts of flooding and enhance public access and recreation in the Water End local.   

Stuart Ryder

Director

The park forms an important new public space at a major transport hub within Chester City Centre. The project, completed earlier this year, was designed as an arena space for such events as hosting the wheel and it certainly feels good to see it being used to full effect. I’m told the views over the Welsh mountains from the wheel were impressive, almost as impressive as the views of the planting below!

The design of the park was developed as a ‘meanwhile’ space utilising the land temporarily, although required to deliver maximum flexibility and aesthetic quality for public realm immediately adjacent to Chester’s busy main bus terminal. Designs also had to provide for a new National Express interchange and facilitate pedestrian movement throughout the wider area and involved working with critical archaeological conditions that restricted the depth of excavation to protect known and unknown assets from the Roman town. The use of seating, shrub and tree planting and informal mounding creates a quieter public space in what is otherwise a busy area of the city centre.

We look forward to seeing what events Cheshire West and Chester Council choose to hold in the park in the future!

The RLC team.

Artists impression of potential ‘access for all beach’ at Cemaes Bay

RLC have been working with Isle of Anglesey County Council for nearly a year now to seek out and develop a series of new and exciting schemes on Anglesey which could be developed as part of their continuing programme to maximise the economic impact of Anglesey’s coastline. The project culminated last week in a series of public consultation events taking place on the island to introduce the potential schemes to the general public. The 6 possible schemes were presented to the public by means of a roadshow stopping off in a different place on the island each day. The 6 schemes presented included;

1.       Public realm promenade improvements at Benllech.

2.       A new pier on the Menai Strait.

3.       An ‘access for all beach’ at Cemaes Bay.

4.       Jetty refurbishment at the Gazelle Hotel.

5.       A Menai Strait water shuttle service.

and perhaps most ambition and exciting….

6. The creation of an artificial dive reef off the coast of the island!

A seventh scheme, the development of a new centralised web based booking system for the many and varied activities available on Anglesey, is also being proposed. Together the schemes could represent a £4 million investment in the island’s economy.

RLC have been leading a small team made up of their own environmental designers and Gwynedd Consultancy, working closely with IACC officers, to identify and develop the schemes listed above. As well as producing outline project development proposals including initial economic impact assessments we are currently developing the schemes in sufficient detail that permissions to deliver them maybe sort if and when funding becomes available.

Around the same time as the consultation events were advertised by IACC the project made it into the local and nation press, see the below links!

http://www.theonlinemail.co.uk/bangor-and-anglesey-news/local-bangor-and-anglesey-news/2011/10/19/4m-plans-to-boost-marine-tourism-on-anglesey-66580-29621935/

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-15428111

The sketches represent the proposals at Benllech and Cemaes Bay and were used during the public consultation events.

As we work with IACC further and the potential schemes develop we hope to continue to update you on this exciting project!

Well the offices are not actually new but we are new to them!

We thought a photo of our new base would be more useful for finding us than a picture of moving desert rocks.

The building is a Victorian attempt are recreating Gothic splendour and sits in the heart of the City Road Conservation Area on the corner of City Road itself and Queens Road. If you are walking up from the railway station keep to the left hand side of the road and look out for the big, shiny black door with No.42 on it.

For five years we have been preparing and delivering consultation and engagement work to this major infrastructure project. This has involved a member of our team working out on site for 16 months as a Public Liaison Officer promoting the scheme to local residents, dealing with their concerns and liaising with the contractor to minimise adverse construction effects.