Golpla® Case Study: Providing Visitor Car Parking in Boscastle, Cornwall
Golpla Ground Reinforcement System
Following the devastating flooding that occurred in the town of Boscastle in 2004, a major flood prevention scheme was instigated by North Cornwall District Council. Part of this involved widening and deepening the River Valency and this, in turn, entailed construction of a new car park on land in the town centre owned by the National Trust.
The Constraints
The National Trust recognised that visitor car parking in a busy tourist town such as Boscastle would, of necessity, need to be robust and hard wearing. The Trust was anxious that, wherever possible, natural materials be introduced and grass cover established.
The Solution: Golpla Pavers
A number of options were considered before Hoofmark's Golpla ground reinforcement system was selected by the main contractor, Carillion, and approved by the client, their representatives (Halcrow) and the National Trust.
Working for Carillion, Anzac Construction installed 4,200m² of Golpla pavers manufactured in recycled plastic, at the client's request, supplied in the colour black.
Construction Details
Car Parking Bays
Base: Free draining crushed stone.
Binding material: 100mm layer of rootzone to provide drainage, support and nutrients to aid grass durability.
Surface material: Golpla pavers (unit size 620 x 300 x 38mm) filled with grass pre-grown within paver cells prior to delivery.
Roads Within Car Park
Base: Free draining crushed stone.
Binding material: 20mm layer of sharp sand.
Surface material: Golpla pavers filled with 10mm sized crushed stone from local Panhill Quarry.
Client Benefits
- Golpla units weigh only 1kg each, well within safe handling limits.
- Golpla is both recycled and recyclable
- Golpla's patented lug and slot connection aids line and level accuracy and facilitates fast installation
- Local materials used in construction of the car park base and stone also used in filling cells on car park access roads.
- Permeable surface means no drainage infrastructure required and no stormwater run-off issues.
- Parking bays laid using Golpla with grass pre-grown off-site within paver cells. This eliminated potential problems establishing good grass growth over the winter period, prior to the car park opening in March 2008, and enhanced the appearance of the site.
- An unusual feature of this project is that the National Trust has requested that, to further enhance the natural appearance of the car park, grass growth be encouraged within the stone-filled Golpla on the car park roads.
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