Caldicot Crossroads
Caldicot Crossroads
Just over the border into Wales, the town of Caldicot has an interesting history. Settled by early man (ancient relics have been found), the area was well known to the Romans. Probably largely a farming market village, with some river trade, the village grew around the Church and the Castle. Once the railway had been laid to Cardiff, the village grew to accommodate the workers, and grew again when the Severn Tunnel was constructed. The last major growth took place when the Government decided that nearby Llanwern was a good site for a new steelworks, and that Caldicot would be a good place to house them, and the building of the Severn Bridge added to this, Caldicot becoming a town in 1953.
The heart of the town was the Newport Road, a “high street” where the main shopping happened. This Newport Road was probably close to the old Roman Road which ran through the village, running between Newport and Caerwent, the nearby Roman Town. This central area was pedestrianised during the 1980’s, and a new Superstore was built behind the town centre.
Project
Location
Contractor
Landscape Architect
Just over the border into Wales, the town of Caldicot has an interesting history. Settled by early man (ancient relics have been found), the area was well known to the Romans. Probably largely a farming market village, with some river trade, the village grew around the Church and the Castle. Once the railway had been laid to Cardiff, the village grew to accommodate the workers, and grew again when the Severn Tunnel was constructed. The last major growth took place when the Government decided that nearby Llanwern was a good site for a new steelworks, and that Caldicot would be a good place to house them, and the building of the Severn Bridge added to this, Caldicot becoming a town in 1953.
The heart of the town was the Newport Road, a “high street” where the main shopping happened. This Newport Road was probably close to the old Roman Road which ran through the village, running between Newport and Caerwent, the nearby Roman Town. This central area was pedestrianised during the 1980’s, and a new Superstore was built behind the town centre.
Project
Location
Contractor
Landscape Architect
Project
Location
Contractor
Landscape Architect
Monmouthshire County Council, working with the local authority set on a program of improvement works to the town centre. The works were designed to improve pedestrian access, limit vehicular access, update shopfronts and paving, and make the whole town centre more attractive and healthy. Roberts Limbrick, working with Chris Jones Studio worked on a design which regenerated and renewed the Town Centre, creating a people priority scheme, centred around the Caldicot Cross, a unique war memorial to those fallen in wars.
Part of the original plan was to create a large sustainable drainage scheme, taking all the water from the roofs and the hard paving, attenuating and treating this water. Unfortunately, due to the below ground constraints, this significant feature had to be reduced in size, and now consists of a number of SuDS enabled tree pits, each taking a smaller amount of rain water in.
The mixture of GreenBlue Urban Arborflow systems, and raingardens and other smaller SuDS features have transformed this town centre. The large tree pits built up with RootSpace soil cells, looking after the soil, keeping it in optimum conditions for root grown, the ArborVent aeration units, keeping the soil healthy and alive, GreenBlue Urban Root Directors were used to guide emerging tree roots down into the RootSpace system, and the trees were held in pace with Arborguy underground guying systems. To help give the trees a good start, RootStart mycorrhizal inoculant was used, dusting the rootballs with this prepared helpful fungus, assisting the tree in its battle for establishment.
Monmouthshire County Council, working with the local authority set on a program of improvement works to the town centre. The works were designed to improve pedestrian access, limit vehicular access, update shopfronts and paving, and make the whole town centre more attractive and healthy. Roberts Limbrick, working with Chris Jones Studio worked on a design which regenerated and renewed the Town Centre, creating a people priority scheme, centred around the Caldicot Cross, a unique war memorial to those fallen in wars.
Part of the original plan was to create a large sustainable drainage scheme, taking all the water from the roofs and the hard paving, attenuating and treating this water. Unfortunately, due to the below ground constraints, this significant feature had to be reduced in size, and now consists of a number of SuDS enabled tree pits, each taking a smaller amount of rain water in.
The mixture of GreenBlue Urban Arborflow systems, and raingardens and other smaller SuDS features have transformed this town centre. The large tree pits built up with RootSpace soil cells, looking after the soil, keeping it in optimum conditions for root grown, the ArborVent aeration units, keeping the soil healthy and alive, GreenBlue Urban Root Directors were used to guide emerging tree roots down into the RootSpace system, and the trees were held in pace with Arborguy underground guying systems. To help give the trees a good start, RootStart mycorrhizal inoculant was used, dusting the rootballs with this prepared helpful fungus, assisting the tree in its battle for establishment.
The finished project is a great improvement; the town centre is geared towards pedestrian use, but with controlled entrances, delivery vehicles can access the properties. The green infrastructure elements are establishing well, giving shade and cooling in the summer, and attenuating water in wetter times of the year. The Memorial cross, made from thousands of pieces of slate was erected in 1996, and the regenerated town centre now complements this well.
GreenBlue Urban were pleased to work closely with Capita Infrastructure on the drainage design, with Roberts Limbrick on the concept, Alun Griffiths contractors and EcoVigour on the installation. GreenBlue Urban, creating urban spaces in harmony with nature.
The finished project is a great improvement; the town centre is geared towards pedestrian use, but with controlled entrances, delivery vehicles can access the properties. The green infrastructure elements are establishing well, giving shade and cooling in the summer, and attenuating water in wetter times of the year. The Memorial cross, made from thousands of pieces of slate was erected in 1996, and the regenerated town centre now complements this well.
GreenBlue Urban were pleased to work closely with Capita Infrastructure on the drainage design, with Roberts Limbrick on the concept, Alun Griffiths contractors and EcoVigour on the installation. GreenBlue Urban, creating urban spaces in harmony with nature.
