Grangemocklar

COMLA worked with TII in a series of Town and Villages to redesign the public realm in conjunction with an upgrade to a roads scheme. Grangemocklar involved a significant investment into landscape elements as a primary component in the traffic calming process, reflecting the Design Manual for Urban Roads and Streets.

At the village gateways, tall trees, and native woodlands were introduced to increase this sense of enclosure.

Tree and hedgerow planting was introduced adjacent to the footpaths throughout the village/town cores. New paving and durable thick limestone kerbs were also
introduced within the village core.

Street trees with a vertical clearance or clear stem height of 2.5 meters were planted into the existing streetscape. These were planted into structural soil and open ground level planters. The necessity of achieving a clear stem height of 2.5 meters limited the palette of appropriate street trees as availability of high clear stem heights is a requirement for TII.

A diverse palette of flowering perennials and ornamental grasses was introduced into ground level planters within the public realm. New street furniture was also introduced within the village core encouraging gathering on the streets at the bridge, bakery and pubs/gathering nodes.

Additional elements including SUDS planting, Median planting strips, Dutch entrance kerbs (where the pedestrian footpath is maintained at grade) Structural Soil tree pits and threshold treatments were incorporated into the schemes.

In addition to defining the transition zones, through this analysis, gateways and key areas were also identified. These are areas where there were opportunities to enhance the sense of place such as at natural features (Riverside) and potential gathering areas.

Aerial images courtesy of Glas Civil Engineering.