Blakedown Landscapes to Transform Itchen Valley Country Park
Blakedown Landscapes has been appointed as the main contractor for the £3.3 million Itchen Valley Country Park transformation project in collaboration with Eastleigh Borough Council and RHP Architects. The scheme will see an exciting range of new features and improvements designed to enhance the park’s appeal as a much-loved family destination for recreation, relaxation, and events.
Itchen Valley Country Park plays an important role in the well-being of local people as well as visitors from further afield. The new design proposals seek to positively promote and encourage active countryside recreation and nature exploration to a new audience as well as enhancing the experience for regular visitors.
Blakedown’s works will include the installation of a central events and welcoming space at Highwood Barn, incorporating a covered outdoor seating area for customers to the Woodland Café; the remodelling of Highwood and Kingfisher Barns; improved barbecue and picnic areas and new pedestrian links. Soft landscaping will see the planting of new trees, native hedging, ornamental shrubs, herbaceous perennials, and grasses.
Ecological measures will take in enhanced biodiversity with new grassland habitats and biodiverse shrub planting along the woodland edges, creation of new hedge boundaries with wildflower grassland to the edge of the new car park and nesting boxes and log and compost piles.
“It is great news that Blakedown has got this wonderful transformation of Itchen Valley Country Park under way. The works will enhance its surroundings and bring exciting new elements that will make it more versatile for a range of events and activities. It will also preserve it as a valued local amenity, where Borough residents and visitors can enjoy its tranquil surroundings.”
“We were delighted to have been awarded this major improvement project for Eastleigh Borough Council. Investment into our local parks creates places where communities can connect, nature flourish and which can offer health and wellbeing benefits to all users. Blakedown specialises in high quality landscaping and civils public realm schemes and more and more our work focuses on creating sustainable landscapes which improve not only local community assets but contribute to residents’ wellbeing. ”