Added: 15TH MAY 2024
Turfdry’s specialism in natural turf construction makes the firm an ideal partner for housebuilding companies looking to add sports facilities to their new developments. With the main construction phase of its Highlands Park development in Henley-on-Thames winding down, Crest Nicholson contacted Turfdry in 2023 to explore their options for a new natural turf sports pitch, with a package of works agreed to commence in early 2024.
The area of the site identified for the new pitch had previously played the role of staging and dumping ground for the bulk of the project; this left the area in a less-than-optimal state for transformation into a high quality sports surface, with large quantities of boulders, concrete, rebar and other detritus making up a significant portion of the material. In order to help manage the overall costs of the project, Turfdry identified two stockpiles that appeared to have a reasonably high volume of usable material; instead of having them removed then, screening operations were proposed to reclaim as much of good quality material and incorporate it into the construction. This also has the added benefit of helping to manage the environmental impact of the construction by minimising the volume of material taken both to and from site, and was a particularly important consideration in view of the fact that the project will require several hundreds of loads of new high quality topsoil imported for use on the pitch, due to a lack of suitable material already on-site.
Prior to the picking and screening operations however, Turfdry first had to prepare the site, establishing a compound and fencing off the working area. This work was underway in early February, with the team looking forward to making good progress on the pitch as a positive and productive start of the year.
The weather, however, had different ideas. Whilst February 2023 was one of the driest on record, this year saw significant rainfall well into the spring, leaving the site sodden and unsuitable for any of the heavy machinery required to push the project onwards. Consequently, the team was forced to pull off the site until the conditions dried up sufficiently to allow operations to continue.
Fortunately, the stretches of drier weather in recent weeks have allowed the team to return to Henley to get stuck into the picking and screening operations. Simultaneously, the pitch plateau has been marked out using the GPS control system linked to the 3D model, so preparations are made to allow smooth progression into the main earthworks phase of the job. Meanwhile, the importing and stockpiling of high quality topsoil has begun, and will continue concurrent with the other operations to ensure it is all in place following the construction of the pitch’s sub-base layer. This topsoil has also been sourced locally, and tested to assess what (if any) treatment will be required to ensure compliance with British Standard 3882, which will be undertaken following its initial spread over the pitch plateau.
We’re delighted to be making some positive progress on this project after a frustrated start, and look forward to bringing you updates as the pitches take shape. In the meantime, why not check out some of Turfdry’s other sports pitch design & construction projects.
