Overview:
The Gladstone Parklet is a community-led project situated in a residential area in the London Borough of Haringey. Haringey Council and the not-for-profit organisation Grow N22, working in partnership with Marlborough Highways transformed a neglected site into an attractive and colourful space, where residents feel safe and where they can reconnect with nature.
The Challenge
The junction where Gladstone Avenue meets Vincent Road in the London Borough of Haringey was sealed off to traffic in April 2022 in a bid to reduce road congestion and to improve the quality of the environment for local people. While the move brought positive changes, the space at the end of the street opposite Noel Park Primary School became neglected, and over time began to attract anti-social behaviour. The issue came to the attention of Grow N22, which is a community led body that exists to take disused spaces across the north London borough and turn them into vibrant and welcoming locations for everyone to enjoy. After raising the matter with Haringey Council and liaising with talented designers, Grow N22 secured funding for a new parklet through the Mayor of London’s Grow Back Greener initiative. As the borough’s principal highways maintenance contractor, Marlborough was then brought on board to project manage the scheme in partnership with Meristem Design and Jan Kattein Architects. There needed to be strong community engagement throughout, with accessibility, safety, drainage and the aesthetic look of the parklet all needing to be taken into consideration.
The Solution
Once plans were approved, Marlborough was able to quickly move its expert team and high-performance equipment into position in September 2022. The space was first cleared, before surfacing and paving works were carried out, which included the introduction of dropped kerbs, allowing for better access for mobility scooters and wheelchair users. New cycle lanes were also installed, meaning cyclists can now use the junction, without impeding pedestrians or having to navigate the concrete bollards which have closed the road to car users. After elegant paving slabs were laid in the centre of the parklet, Marlborough worked with volunteers from Grow N22 alongside botanical specialists, introducing pollinating plants, trees, herbs and wildflowers into the space. Pupils from Noel Park Primary school were invited to take part in the project, with children drawing pictures of the new parklet and teachers and staff helping Marlborough to bury a time capsule under the site. The Gladstone Parklet has made a real difference to the lives of residents of Vincent Road and beyond, with the spot providing a much-welcomed green space where visitors can relax and unwind.
Fact File
Client Haringey Council
Date September 2022
Duration 1 week
Project
- Removal and safe disposal of existing asphalt
- Resurfacing works
- Creation of cycle lanes
- Creation of an attractive paved square
- Pavement works including raised and dropped kerbs
- Updated line markings
- New street furniture and signage
- Introduction of colourful street planters, flowers, and other foliage
- Sustainable drainage measures to reduce flood risk through planting
- Internment of a time capsule
Team
- 1 full time Project Manager
- 1 Site Foreman
- 5 Marlborough Operatives across all trades
Client savings
- Marlborough liaised directly with the project designer’s throughout, providing constructive input and expertise.
- As the London Borough of Hackney’s main highways contractor, Marlborough was able to carry out and complete the works quickly and to a high standard, with the necessary equipment and skilled operatives on-hand at short notice.
Quotes
“I am delighted with the fantastic Gladstone Parklet project, the scheme has enhanced the area and brought about a sense of community unity on the street.”
Luke Newcombe, Founder, Grow N22
“This was a really positive project; it was a pleasure to support a community initiative, with fantastic collaboration from the local school. Our thanks go out to the Marlborough team for all their help and hard work.”
Shamiso Oneka, Urban Design Officer, Haringey Council
“One of the things I value most is their very collaborative and transparent team culture. It makes a big difference to have a contractor that wants to work closely with us and is supportive and responsive. With Marlborough, I get a team who are attentive, work collaboratively and honestly with me and don’t lose focus on delivering first class communications and compliance.”
“From the design stage, Marlborough has been fundamental in delivering the Broad Lane Square improvements scheme. During the works, not only did the team manage to keep to the programme, but they went the extra mile to ensure attention to detail and came up with innovative solutions to address issues encountered on site. My thanks on behalf of Haringey goes out to Marlborough for their dedication to deliver.”
“Working alongside our Term Service Contractor Marlborough Highways, we successfully completed renovations to the Crowstone Footbridge. The designs were provided by Marlborough, and the work was unique. The scheme was completed to budget and ahead of its programme duration.”
“I would like to thank you and your team for your efforts, the Marlborough crews were professional, courteous, and hard working all day and ensured the event went without a hitch. You and the team were a credit to the company, demonstrating commitment and support to the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham.”
“I just wanted to say what a pleasure it has been to work with Marlborough Highways over the last six months. The quality of work is superb, and there has been some excellent collaboration between Milestone and Marlborough to complete, what at times, has been quite a challenging scheme. I hope to work with Marlborough on another project in the near future.”
“Marlborough worked with us in constructing a 1.3km cycle track. There were a number of technical difficulties to overcome, and their gifted foreman worked to propose some innovative solutions to the challenges we faced. The result is a facility that the locals are proud of, providing walkers and cyclists with alternative access to the hospital and nearby school. The scheme was a lot of hard work, but well worth it.”
“Marlborough attracts people who take care and have pride in their work. Several gangs of Operatives worked tirelessly for six months to reconstruct drainage networks, lay more than 3km of high quality bespoke granite kerbs and granite channels blocks to ensure positive drainage. The technical compliance, attention to detail and level of quality finish along the entire carriageway was exceptional”.
“We saw huge benefits in appointing Marlborough as our full service contractor and we’re impressed – they’ve delivered consistent high quality service and superior quality control across every project. Marlborough, provide us with a ‘one-stop’ shop solution – we get the same quality of service and better control across all aspects of the project.”
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