GP-Flex®
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Site Location: Burgh Castle is located to the south west of Great Yarmouth, close to the River Waveney and overlooking the Halvergate Marshes. The walls of the fort are in the care of English Heritage and Norfolk Archaeologist Trust owns the fort, most of the surrounding farmland and an adjacent area of reed beds. The area is rural and the works were undertaken mainly in open fields and on existing footpaths adjacent to the ancient fort. The site is an existing visitor attraction and continued to be visited by the general public during the course of the works. Project Brief: Ms S M Chisnell was appointed by the Norfolk Archaeologist Trust in late 2007, to work as consultant Landscape Architect to the trust for the Burgh Castle site. Her brief was to explore the concept of providing access for all to the site. Upon approval of the initial design proposals by the Trust, a detailed construction specification for the site, which included TENAX GP-Flex 1800, was drawn up. Ms Chisnell guided the project through the planning and tendering process, with Giles Landscapes being appointed as the main contractor. The Problem: Access to and around the Fort is over fields, also, grass surrounds the Fort walls. Hard standing solutions such as asphalt were not acceptable, mainly due to aesthetic issues and run off from rain. A solution was required which would allow the continued use of grass without the ground becoming rutted and muddy, to allow mowing machinery and occasional farm machinery to traffic the path areas. The surface also needed to remain porous due to precipitation and potential low level flooding. The Solution: TENAX GP-Flex® 1800 was used to protect and reinforce the grass paths. GP-Flex® 1800 has a high tensile strength which allows it to cope with the different types of machinery likely to traffic the areas. GP-Flex® 1800 has a slip resistant surface, which enabled the paths to be used whilst the grass was becoming established. Giles Landscapes commented on how flexible but strong GP-Flex® is and how easy it was to install.

Conclusion: Prior to installation the grass was cut and the ground levelled with a 50/50 mix of sharp sand / soil, then a grass seed mix was applied. GP-Flex® was simply rolled out and held in position with metal fixing pins it was then covered with a layer of sharp sand / soil. The grass grew quickly through the mesh providing a stable surface for pedestrians and wheelchair access. Without this reinforcement the grass roots would have become worn away and the area would have become rutted. GP-Flex® was chosen due to its high tensile strength which allows it to cope with different types of...