London & South East Premier Construction

The Nursery Hyde Park

Hyde Park
Written by Roma Publications

The Nursery, Hyde Park

Set to be operational by summer 2017, The Royal Parks (TRP) has invested £5 million to create an ‘innovative super nursery’ at Hyde Park.

The Royal Parks is the organisation that is responsible for managing acres of historic parkland within the capital city – this includes conservation areas and important habitats for wildlife. They have stated that the project will help them grow nearly all of the 500,000 flowers and shrubs it plants across its eight London parks.

The project has been underway for some months now with the demolition of the old and dilapidated nursery in Hyde Park complete. The previous nursey was built in the 1960s and was getting beyond repair, which was the catalyst for the project. This new nursery will serve the 5,000 acres of park land that make up the Royal Parks estate.

The nursery is being constructed by Deforche Construct NV and Climate Controls Ltd and will be the first major glasshouse production facility in the UK to use Deforche Cabrio technology which, much like the roof at Wimbledon, can open and close dependent on British weather. The new roof system will help with the acclimatisation of young plants, so they do not have to be moved outside for hardening – saving on labour and maximising space.

Specialising in the construction of steel and glass agricultural as well as horticultural structures, Deforche Construct NV offer turnkey solutions which are customised to their client based on functionality and productivity. With 74 years of experience, the flexible family business has worked with a range of clients from agriculture and horticulture companies to garden centres and research centres.

Approximately the size of a football pitch, the nursery will be split into 13 climate controlled areas. They will be operated by Climate Control Ltd.’s latest technology which adapts the environment of the greenhouse to the needs of the plants. Other features of the nursery, that make it one of the most unique features within the Royal Parks portfolio, include a rainwater recovery system, LED lighting throughout and existing boilers that have been fitted with new flues to ensure maximum energy efficiency.

The new nursery will also help to save around £200,000 per year on planting costs and through the reduction of energy expenditure. The site will also deliver educational opportunities for TRP apprentices and engage the community on topics such as plants and wildlife within the park through workshops and open days.

Sustainability has been at the heart of the new nursery’s design, with around 99% of materials from the old nursery being recycled. The design for the greenhouse will meet the highest environmental standards and by not outsourcing the nursery service it will reduce their carbon footprint through the reduction of transportation.

Each year millions of Londoners and tourists visit Hyde Park, one of the capitals eight Royal Parks. Hyde Park covers 350 acres and is home to a number of famous landmarks including the Serpentine, Speaker’s Corner and the Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fountain.

Hyde Park

SB Civil Engineering Ltd

SB Civil Engineering Ltd specialise in deep drainage and sewer works, Section 278 & Highway packages and specialist groundworks. The company has been in operation for five years and within this time has been involved with a range of projects, including the Crossrail works package with BBMV; a highways package for Aldi; a civil works package for Tesco; Stuartby STEM & S278 Highways works for Kier; and highways enabling works for the £600m K1 project.

Most recently, SB Civil Engineering Ltd has been involved with the Hyde Park Nursery project. The work included approximately a £1m specialist groundworks package, which included deep drainage and attenuation tanks, as well as estate roads.

Jack Bowie, SB Civil Engineering Ltd, said:

“We valued our involvement in this prestigious project as The Royal Parks are synonymous with London. These works are the largest of their kind in the UK and this nursery will be the hub for all Royal Parks planting across London.”

Jack added:

“At SB Civil Engineering Ltd we pride ourselves on our delivery – delivering a client’s expectations in a timely and cost focused fashion.”

About the author

Roma Publications