Challenge

When St Paul’s primary school in Withington came to us, they were in the unusual position of having two parents who had worked alongside the school to develop a master plan to completely redevelop their outdoor space.

The design was the culmination of 2 years of work and they had asked local contractors to offer quotations to bring their designs to life.

Solution

In the end Massey and Harris were asked to act as the main contractor for the work, Photo 21-08-2013 15 04 09which included over 1000sq.m of tarmac, 650sq.m of two tone artificial grass, three huge raised beds, the resurfacing of the ball court and a complete rework of the levels in the grass area of the playground.

The timescales were extremely tight with the order being placed after the end of term and 6 weeks to complete the work. The main work was completed on time to allow the school Photo 16-09-2013 11 50 09to open the playground in September 2013, with the grass installation slightly delayed due to the dreaded Manchester rain.

Outcome

The transformation was remarkable and the new space completely changed how the different areas are used and made it all seem twice as large as it had previously been.

The rays of artificial grass follow the lines of the stone circle in the centre of the completely refurbished playground. The effect is dramatic and the area has gone from a tired worn out space to a bright, vibrant play area for all year round use and minimal maintenance.

With a new sail for the sail shade and (a lot of) plants in the raised beds, St Paul’s have a very special new outdoor space.