Context

Victoria Park in Ashford, Kent, is a 17-acre park, the largest in the borough, situated a 15-minute walk from the high street. It has a lake and fountain, with plenty of green and wooded areas to walk in.

With aims to improve and protect the outdoor space, £4.5m was injected by Ashford Borough Council and the National Lottery Heritage Fund after a consultation with over 1000 people to find out their desires for the park.

In particular, the community facilities and play spaces were highlighted as needing updating. The development includes modern public toilets with family, disabled and changing places, a new café with community space, a nursery, new playground, bike track, sensory garden and seasonal wetland.

The new playground has a climbing frame, swing, trampolines and a zipwire. An updated activity programme for the park features a variety of events including a Christmas fair, art workshops and hands-on conservation.

Until 1898, the land on which Victoria Park is now situated was a mixture of arable, pasture and orchard fields. The park was originally enclosed by cast iron fencing made by a local firm, but it now has an open perimeter.

Requirement

Fencing and gates were required to secure the buildings after closing time, but they also needed to provide privacy around the nursery playground, and concealment for the bin storage area at the front of the café.

To ensure the building looked cohesive, a fencing solution which provided all of these elements was required.

Solution

Keeping with the tradition of purchasing products from local suppliers, Jacksons Fencing, with headquarters just 15 miles away, was specified by the architect to supply its EuroGuard® Combi fencing and gates to provide security around the café and nursery building.

Steel V mesh panels with interwoven timber slats to match the new building's aesthetic

With the new building being clad in timber slatting, Jacksons Fencing EuroGuard Combi fencing was a close match to continue this modern, natural aesthetic. Created from steel V mesh panels with interwoven timber slats, the fence provides strength and security as well as good aesthetics and concealment.

The planed timber and lack of sharp edges makes it an ideal fence for a nursery space while protecting children from the outside and also blocking litter from being blown into the area.

EuroGuard Combi is ideal for bin storage, particularly in a park setting which is usually empty after dark. The bins are hidden which prevents them being targets for arson, and during the day, they are removed from sight which ensures the public area is well presented, and odours and pests are kept contained away from people.

EuroGuard Combi, made from V mesh panels, features Jacksons unique mesh security clips which are secured with tamper-proof screws on the secure side of the fence that is concealed from view on the outside of the fence. Vandalism is common in park settings, but this protects the fence from being altered which could make it particularly unsafe in an area where children are present.

Matching gates for access control

To match the fencing, a number of gates were installed to provide access to the bin storage and the nursery yard.

As a British manufacturer with its own design team, Jacksons can make gates to almost any bespoke size and configuration to suit site requirements. This is useful in a new build setting where everything is designed from scratch and a specification can be followed closely to reduce costs and waste.

Protective finishes for long service life

The steel mesh panels that make up the fencing were polyester powder coated green to further protect them from rust while the timber slats of the fence were kiln dried and pressure treated to prevent insect attack and rot.

Jacksons 25-year guarantee

The fencing and gates were provided with a 25 year guarantee on both the timber and steel components, ensuring a low lifetime cost and value for money, and contributing to the sustainable goals of the development.