Landscaping

Before commencement of development work, a complex and detailed Masterplan was designed by Arup Associates to resolve the many problems relating to the 450 acre site. Engineering solutions were developed which turned the disadvantages of the site into advantages. Site resources were used to create new land forms rather than import or export soil and rubbish.

In particular, this applied to creating topsoil for the public parkland, an innovative concept devised by the Dutch reclamation consultant Grontmij. All the landfill was removed from the 100 acre business park zone and moved north to create the landform in the public parkland area. Clean gravel and clay was then taken from a 'borrow' pit and brought south into the business park to form building foundations, lakes and landscaped areas. An underground cut-off wall along the northern boundary prevents ground water from becoming polluted by the refuse.

It took contractors 18 months to move four million cubic metres of rubbish, clay and gravel - the largest single civil engineering project involving landfill transfer in Europe. As no suitable top soil existed on site, it was created by mixing clay capping with imported sewage cake. The area was then fallow-seeded and the initial crop ploughed back in to build organic matter. over one million worms were introduced to aerate the newly formed soil. Planting of the public parkland, commenced in 1989, with over 140,000 trees and shrubs in place by mid-1993.

On the business park itself, the landscape plays a vital role in establishing the framework for the development. The park echoes the first formal gardens created by Sir John Bennet in the seventeenth century. An avenue of lime trees runs through the business park, providing an attractive colonnade. Other trees and shrubs have been used to create specific focal points on a grand scale. The lakes are not only an attractive feature, but help to regulate surface and ground water. All of the buildings on the Park have been designed to relate to their unique setting, so that they are part of the landscape, rather than being imposed upon it.