Parc Cybi |
 91.4% |
Interim Client and Outline Design Award
Project Team: Welsh Assembly Government (client), Atkins, Austin-Smith:Lord (designers), Jones Bros (Ruthin) Ltd (contractor)
The Parc Cybi (formerly Ty Mawr) business park development is located on the southern approach to Holyhead, Anglesey. The site has been identified as a major strategic development for Holyhead and for Anglesey as a whole. CEEQUAL is being used as the tool to both promote and assess the strong environmental quality and sustainability of the project, in line with Welsh Assembly Government’s commitment to the promotion of sustainable development.
The infrastructure works, which are being assessed using the Whole Project with Interim Award approach, comprise the masterplanning for the landscaping of the site and the installation of the drainage, lighting and access roads (including a new road linking the A55 with Trearddur Bay, Kingsland Road). The key drivers to the works have been the significant archaeological and ecological features within the site, and the particular character of the area in terms of its landscape, vegetation and cultural heritage.
Site character
The site is located in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) with a gently undulating topography. The site includes areas of improved grassland, which have been used as pasture for both sheep and cattle, interspersed with a number of rock outcrops, colonised by gorse, and small areas of wetland. Field boundaries are defined by natural stone walls, containing, in places, sections of wind-sculpted hedgerow. Many of the stone walls follow the alignments shown on the first edition OS plan for the area and consequently represent one aspect of the cultural heritage of the site.
Infrastructure Works
The infrastructure being built as part of the first phase of the site development to facilitate the development of business units, includes some 1,500m of new carriageway, including earthworks and a bridge over an existing lane, foul and surface water drainage systems and utility supplies.
The surface water drainage within the site has been designed using SUDS techniques with the aim of maintaining the existing hydrology of the site and prevent, as far as reasonably practicable, any increased run-off and pollution occurring beyond the site as a result of the proposed development.
The road specification was written so as to give the maximum opportunity for re-use of material on site and to minimise the amount of material removed from the site. This enabled the contractor to construct the highway embankment and lay the sub-base aggregate using site-won materials with no earthworks material being removed from the site.
Archaeology
Holyhead and Anglesey have a long history of human occupation. Archaeological remains known to exist within the site include a standing stone and remains of Bronze Age occupation and Iron Age / Romano-British settlement activity. The extensive archaeological investigations conducted on the site have sought to investigate and catalogue these areas and communicate the findings to the public where possible. To date, two open days have taken place at the site allowing the public to view the archaeological findings and understand the work in more detail.
Ecology
The Parc Cybi site is dominated by large areas of improved pasture, interspersed with rock outcrops, covered by gorse scrub and semi-improved acid grassland, and areas of low-lying marshy grassland. Several areas of standing water are present within these marshy areas along with a drainage ditch, which has become dominated by reeds. Detailed ecological surveys conducted at initial design stage identified the presence of badgers, water voles, newts and lizards. The surveys recommended that mitigation was included within the infrastructure design and masterplan to reduce the potential impacts on fauna within the site, and that the habitats of value for nature conservation were managed to meet sustainability targets of zero net loss in biodiversity.
Landscaping and site layout
The characteristics of the site, along with the important archaeological and ecological aspects were key considerations in the development of the masterplan and the siting of access roads and building plots. The masterplan was developed to ensure that:
- The development would fit within the east-west topographical grain of the site. This creation of essentially linear strands of development would enable the important ecological aspects of the site (primarily the rocky outcrops and high ground) and elements of the natural landscape to be retained, as well as allowing views into and through the site.
- The visual interrelationship between off-site and on-site archaeological monuments was maintained.
- The existing dry stone walls and associated hedgerow were retained. The new spine road for the development was located so as to be aligned with an existing wall, for example.
- The development would integrate with its immediate context, encouraging views into and out of the site from all aspects. Particular consideration was given to the interface with the nearest adjacent housing to the site, to ensure that the development did not “turn its back” on its neighbours. Non-vehicular access through the site is to be promoted through the incorporation of footpaths and a bridleway.
- The landscape treatment was in keeping with the character of the Island of Anglesey. Exposure of the site to the prevailing winds, for example, was a major influence on planting selection and location. The use of large trees for screening has been avoided, as these would not survive the weather conditions encountered.
- The old road of Lôn Trefignath, which runs through the middle of the site, was retained as a route for non-vehicular access through the site.
|
