Glanville is the first port of call for large scale transport, highways and civil engineering projects, but occasionally we help out local community projects where budgets are more challenging. So when the Stanton Harcourt Village Hall Committee contacted our Didcot office, we were only too happy to help, taking a pragmatic view of the fees charged for our time and expertise, and highlighting where the project could be managed more prudently to keep costs under control.
Faced with a compacted gravel car park that readily becomes a quagmire in the winter months, the Hall Committee were keen to improve the surface as well as define the space allocation to optimise the parking capacity. As with many village locations, the area is irregular and has several complications including access for two residential dwellings and a Thames Water substation.
As part of their contribution to the local community, Glanville agreed to limit their fees to assist the Committee budget and advised on solutions to overcome drainage, options for surface construction materials, as well as completing a full detailed design of the project and parking layout.
Glanville’s Managing Director, Tim Foxall, was quick to offer a staged approach to the project that would better fit the available funding for the project, initially from a grant and then by ongoing fund raising from the hall lettings and charity events. He noted that costs associated with providing a robust construction and surface, particularly when considering potential drainage works, are likely to exceed the amount of the initial grant.
Drainage in particular would be an issue, with it necessary to prevent the new surface causing run-off draining onto the adjacent road or pathed areas. To this end Glanville suggested saving fees by recruiting a local farmer to dig a series of trial holes in the car park to test water soakage. The results from that testing would then inform recommendations on the materials used for the parking surface and drainage solution.
