New workshop facility
Fit for the future
Background
Marlborough has more gardens and open spaces than most towns of a similar size in Wiltshire, providing a fantastic amenity for our residents and visitors.
With an estate with over 1,500 trees, a LOT of grass, town centre floral displays and formal gardens as well as six sites with play equipment and adult exercise equipment, our team is kept busy on a daily basis looking after it all. This is in addition to their other duties such as supporting special events like the Remembrance Parade and Christmas Lights Switch-on.
Within the next few months we also expect to take on responsibility for even more land: a new play area and amenity space has been created by developers GreenSquare Accord associated with the Hawthorn Meadows housing development on the northern edge of the town.
To be able to provide the best service to our residents we’ve always believed in providing our team with the right tools to do the job. In 2022 Councillors agreed that the team had simply outgrown the existing workshop at Salisbury Road Recreation Ground and approved a project to extend the facility.
New Workshop
On Wednesday, 24 September our Town Mayor, Councillor Emily Trow, cut the ribbon to formally open this updated facility and Councillors had the opportunity to tour the building.
“This is an amazing achievement, well done to all involved”
Councillor Emily Trow, Town Mayor
Our team now benefits from improved access and parking including a new storage barn. There’s a side extension providing expanded and more secure storage space for plant and equipment and increased workshop space too.
There’s a new greenhouse and, inside the building, fit-for-purpose office space for the Grounds Manager and amenity space and facilities for staff.
In the past our team had no choice but to leave vehicles and equipment such as road signs on hard standing areas in front of and between the workshop and the Bowls Club. Now all can be stored inside, improving the visual appearance of the area as well as being more secure.
“I’m really pleased that we’ve got to the end of this. We started discussing the need for more space around 7 years ago, initially looking at a site next to the Golf Club. Since deciding to extend the existing workshop, work has progressed quickly”
Nigel Weatherly, Grounds Manager
Overall, the team will be able to move around more easily, have the right space to carry out their duties and generally benefit from improved health and safety conditions.
Environmental impact
To help care for our environment, we’ll soon be adding a 1,200-litre rainwater harvesting tank, reducing the amount of mains water we use to look after our seedlings and many floral displays, and better for the plants themselves.
A few years ago we switched most of our hand tools to electric from diesel, and we’ve switched our energy supplier so that the workshop now runs off 100% renewable energy.
Councillors have the option to consider adding solar panels and EV charger points as a future project, and these items were included in the planning application.
Cost
The original intention had been to build a new workshop on land near the Tennis Club next to Marlborough Common (but not on Common land), and to share facilities with the Estates team at Marlborough Golf Club. However, in November 2021 it became apparent that this would be prohibitively expensive, and attention turned to the feasibility of extending the existing workshop instead.
Planning permission was granted in September 2023. The project came in on time and budget, and the total cost to date is £255,691. Careful financial planning and management has meant that we’ve been able to save for this project over a number of years (setting money aside as Ear Marked Reserves) without putting a hefty hike onto the precept for our council tax payers.
"I’m really pleased to have completed this project. It has been a lot of work, involving a lot of planning. Hopefully we have maximised the site to create a workshop facility that supports an effective open spaces operation well into the future".
Richard Spencer-Williams, Town Clerk
Download our press release here
