£2.8m project for seafront gardens

Mott MacDonald has been appointed by Suffolk Coastal District Council on a £2.8 million project to restore and enhance 1km of seafront gardens in Felixstowe. This is a landscape architecture lead project with the consultancy providing a wide range of complimentary engineering services, including civil, structural, geotechnical, mechanical and electrical, as well as CDMC, ecology and hydrology inputs. 

The scheme has various funding streams, primarily a Heritage Lottery Fund grant of £2.2million but also from the Local Authority Business Growth Incentive Scheme, Haven Gateway Partnership and Suffolk Coastal District Council. 

One of the contractual requirements to obtain a Heritage Lottery Fund grant is to aim to achieve Green Flag status in the gardens. This involves providing a management plan to ensure the longevity of the gardens for future generations. 

The site is south east facing and has an array of differing microclimates due to its undulating topography and mature planting design. With a brisk sea breeze through most of the year the proposed planting designs will need to include hardy ornamentals, providing colour throughout the seasons. There will be the opportunity for various styles of planting including the regeneration of the Victorian beds, rose gardens, woodland walks through the terraces, structural shrub planting and edible seashore planting to engage with the local community. The commission is due to be completed in spring 2014.