Pathways to a perfect park landscape: Soils, Aggregates and Stone
First impressions really count, and that does not stop at your park entrance. It continues onto your main thoroughfare and beyond at every pitch and pocket of land – it impacts site-wide. Waterlogged patches, unruly pathways and pot-holed roads are an instant turn-off, causing untold damage to your reputation as well as to vehicles and pedestrians. Planted beds, hedge screening, wildflower meadows and green roofs can make your outdoor experience stand out for all the right reasons, too. At that means taking a closer look beneath your feet… Chances are you want your park to be more than just a place to stay. You want holidaymakers to return, to recommend and to share a positive experience of their time on site. Whilst the accommodation, the facilities, the entertainment and the environment are critical factors, it will no doubt be the “bits in between” where you could be letting the side – and site – down. Roadways, pathways, play and plants Suppliers of British Standard topsoils and aggregates for almost a quarter of a century, MCM are favoured by award-winning landscapers and the UK’s leading construction companies when it comes to the provision of consistently high quality landscape materials. The Surrey-based company source materials from quarries and sites across the South East but have a UK-wide logistics network. They have been the first port of call for soils and aggregates to projects including Holland Park play area in Kensington, Kearsney Court historic park in Dover, roof gardens and avenues at Wembley Park and groundworks at the University of Winchester. It is in these and other private, commercial and public open space projects where the correct specification, selection and supply of soils, gravels and aggregates is critical. This is why it is so important to consider your end goals when it comes to product choice for park renovations and refurbishment. Choose the right landscape materials Whether gabion stone for a cage wall or bank reinforcement, new planting or a forecourt of self-binding gravel that looks great all year round, discuss your options with a specialist supplier of soils and aggregates. They can guide you on product selection and advise on site preparation, calculating how much you need and how it can best be delivered to site dependent on access, space and location. MCM supply in loose, direct-to-site loads up to 20 tonnes or in multi-lift bags so that deliveries can be tailored to suit. British Standards soils and blends for planting, turf and meadow Now more than ever, we want to embrace and enjoy our outdoor spaces. And whilst your holiday park is more than likely blessed with a natural environment, you can always add more – perhaps some hedge screening, new planting beds, lawns, playgrounds, improvements to your wooded areas or perhaps even a living wall or green roof. Creating new beds means new soil and to ensure the healthiest establishment and long-term success of your planting, you should select the best soil blend and one that meets the most rigorous of British Standard specifications – and has the test certificate to prove it. MCM supplies lightweight substrates for roof gardens and areas where soil weight and drainage are top considerations, as well as specialist soils for acid-loving plants. For wildflower planting in pockets around the development, choose a low fertility topsoil blend to provide the nutrient levels required for a thriving soft landscape whilst suppressing the onset of invasive weeds across the planting scheme. Preparing your site to diversify PROJECT: Self-binding golden gravel path for alpacas on Surrey farm Binding together when rolled to create a self-compacted golden surface, MCM’s self-binding gravel has been used to great effect on this farm in Surrey. The golden driveway stays firm underfoot and is a versatile and attractive alternative to other more traditional loose aggregates. The homeowner took delivery of their self-binding gravel in April and after transporting the gravel by dumper across a 200 metre stretch to the alpaca shelters at the bottom of an adjacent field, the hard standing area is now complete and ready for its South American visitors. “Lulu” and the gang are more than happy with their upgraded home, as is the homeowner who commended the MCM team for helping them with product selection and arranging swift delivery. PROJECT: Self-binding golden gravel path for alpacas on Surrey farm Binding together when rolled to create a self-compacted golden surface, MCM’s self-binding gravel has been used to great effect on this farm in Surrey. The golden driveway stays firm underfoot and is a versatile and attractive alternative to other more traditional loose aggregates. The homeowner took delivery of their self-binding gravel in April and after transporting the gravel by dumper across a 200 metre stretch to the alpaca shelters at the bottom of an adjacent field, the hard standing area is now complete and ready for its South American visitors. “Lulu” and the gang are more than happy with their upgraded home, as is the homeowner who commended the MCM team for helping them with product selection and arranging swift delivery. A welcoming environment PRODUCT: Paving the way with permeable recycled aggregates With site drainage crucial throughout the year, it is worth considering a permeable recycled aggregate alternative to keep your landscape and groundworks free-draining and puddle-free. Cheaper than a primary aggregate – a win-win for budget and environment – a 2/6mm permeable aggregate bedding layer allows surface water to run off and escape through the sub-base and into the ground beneath. Its grading gives a balance between the sub-base layer’s stability and the free movement of water off, down and through. This makes this recycled permeable aggregate the perfect base layer for sports pitches, paving, car parks and driveways. PRODUCT: Paving the way with permeable recycled aggregates With site drainage crucial throughout the year, it is worth considering a permeable recycled aggregate alternative to keep your landscape and groundworks free-draining and puddle-free. Cheaper than a primary aggregate – a win-win for budget and environment – a 2/6mm permeable aggregate bedding layer allows surface
A Golden Coast heat pump will keep guests happy year-round.
British weather may be famously unpredictable, but at least guests can count on their hot tubs being warm thanks to an innovative heat pump from Golden Coast. The inverter-driven air source pump heats water up to 40°C and maintains the desired temperature while operating on a lower current. This allows it to use less energy compared to electric heaters, making it a much eco-friendlier option. The heat pump has been tried and tested in parks around the UK with impressive results. One field test conducted by a holiday park operator revealed a Golden Coast heat pump offered a return on their investment in just 18 months based on their usage and environment, resulting in an order of over 200 units. Adam Clark, Sales Director at Golden Coast explains: “Our highly efficient heat pump keeps energy consumption and running costs low. Owners can even monitor usage and control the temperature easily thanks to the touchscreen display. It means parks are completely in control of their spending, and if they have multiple hot tubs on site, it can result in significant savings over time.” Designed to be durable and long lasting, a Golden Coast heat pump uses titanium heat exchangers which are resistant to corrosion by salt, chlorine and bromine. The pump can operate in cold temperatures as low as -15°C, and has a heater tray element that protects the machine in colder months. Importantly, its unique ventilation structure means the heat pump is extremely quiet, so will not disturb guests. “There will be lots of guests around the country looking to find something special for their staycations this year, and a hot tub is always a sought-after feature,” says Adam. “It’s essential that the hot tub is useable no matter what the weather, and thanks to a high coefficient of performance, a Golden Coast heat pump warms the water quickly so guests can enjoy the spa in no time. Our heat pump offers a high level of reliability for park operators looking to extend their facility use through every season. It won’t let you or your guests down.” For more information on Golden Coast heat pumps, contact a member of the sales team on 01271 378100, email swimmer@goldenc.com or visit www.goldenc.com.
New ‘industry-first’ partnership helps holiday parks demonstrate commitment to sustainability
Elite Dynamics, a leading provider of software solutions to the Holiday Home & Parks’ industry, has partnered with an environmental start-up in a bid to encourage the industry, holiday home owners, and holidaymakers to up their environmental efforts. The software specialists have kick-started a new partnership with Manchester-based, Play It Green, by pledging to become a climate positive workforce. In the first month alone, Elite Dynamics’ 19 staff have facilitated the planting of 247 trees to counterbalance the business’ carbon footprint. As well as improving their own business sustainability practices, Elite Dynamics will be enhancing its EliteParks park management solution to make it easier for holiday parks to also join the scheme. Elite Dynamics holiday park customers will then be able to give their own customers and holiday home owners the opportunity to offset their travel to and from the park at the time of booking. Holiday parks can also add value to communications with customers and owners by providing ongoing practical tips on how to live more sustainably plus offering discounts on a wide range of sustainable products. Nicolette Aydin, Head of People & Business Transformation at Elite Dynamics, said: “As a business, we’re committed to doing everything we can to reduce our impact on the environment. Our staff work remotely from home. Our solutions are designed to digitise and streamline administrative, paper-based processes. And our new EliteAcademy is a digitised online training, coaching, and mentoring programme, which cuts down the need for our consultants to travel between holiday parks across the country to deliver system training. “We’ve been investing heavily in our business and our people through personal and professional training and development, and health and wellbeing initiatives over the last 12 months. By partnering with Play It Green, we’re now also making a positive difference to the environment on their behalf by committing to planting trees for every single member of our team, thus continuing to set out our stall as an elite and responsible employer. “We see this new partnership with Play It Green as a strong fit for us as a company and for our customers. The holiday park and leisure resort industry already leads the way in terms of its sustainability efforts and many of our customers are streets ahead when it comes to their green and eco policies. We’re proud to work with so many forward-thinking businesses and we’re excited to help them showcase their existing environmental credentials through a platform that will bring their good practices to life for their customers.” Richard Dickson, Co-founder and Head of Engagement at Play It Green said: “From governments to children around the world, everyone is aware climate change is an issue we all must do something about. The challenge to reach net zero by 2050 is huge, so practical action is a priority and this is a joint endeavour between nations, people, and business. Play It Green support a few pieces of this complex jigsaw by helping everyone plant trees to offset carbon emissions and lower their carbon footprint through news, weekly tips, and access to discounted sustainable alternatives. “Our vision at Play It Green is to give people and businesses the power to be greener and enjoy their journey, so we are delighted to welcome Elite Dynamics as our official strategic holiday park industry partner. Not only have they taken the decision to be a more sustainable business, but through their innovative software solutions, they have the potential to offset hundreds of thousands of holidaymakers’ travel and plant millions of trees. With this unique industry-first collaboration, we can create globally scalable positive outcomes both environmentally and socially.” For more information on Play It Green and how everyone – individuals through to large companies – can become part of the climate solution, visit https://playitgreen.com. Elite Dynamics is the only park management applications provider to have its solution officially accredited by Microsoft Dynamics and is a top tier Microsoft Gold partner. For more information on Elite Dynamics or to arrange a demo of the market leading Microsoft powered software solutions, visit https://www.elitedynamics.co.uk.
