Chestnut Nursery re-opens after stunning redevelopment by Greendale Construction
Chestnut Nursery in Poole, has re-opened after a stunning redevelopment by Dorset Chartered Builders, Greendale Construction Limited, which saw extensive improvements to the nursery and grounds, including the building of an iconic new shop at the Kingland Road site which offers opportunities to those with long term and enduring mental illness.
The work carried out by Greendale included the demolishing of dilapidated old buildings which have been replaced with a stunning new single storey, 200m2 shop, created using a glulam frame and gabion cages with Purbeck stone infill cladding, along with sections of differing width vertical chestnut cladding boards, adding to the unique style. Designed by Footprint Architects, the building also boasts renewable energy technology in the form of underfloor heating from an air source heat pump.
The impressive new shop will sell a large variety of gardening items as well as offering improved learning opportunities for the volunteers working there. Two large elevated rooflights, flood the area with natural light, while automatic entrance/exit doors, now make access to the building easier. New window/curtain walling has been installed using a combination of aluminium and wood framed glazing systems, giving the new building a stunning look both outside and in.
Behind the shop, a further 743 square metres of retail hard standing, growing areas and a new nursery offer a more formal and cohesive experience for customers, providing a much-needed, safe and comfortable environment for volunteers working with the registered charity SWOP (Sheltered Work Opportunities Project) to work.
Angela Mansbridge, project manager at Chestnut Nursery, commented:“It was a pleasure working with Greendale, who have been very sensitive, professional and supportive of our volunteers needs during the build. The new building is lovely, and we are all enjoying working in the new space. Customer feedback has been extremely positive, and we are able to offer them many products we could not previously stock.”
Martin Stewart, managing director at Stewarts Garden Centres, and chairman and trustee at SWOP, said: “We are absolutely thrilled with how amazing it looks. Greendale played a blinder, and Chestnut Nursery will now positively affect and help many hundreds of people for decades to come.”
Rob Hooker, director at Greendale Construction, commented:“Greendale was employed over 3 years ago to help pull together the construction of this wonderful new shop and retail area, and we are really proud to have delivered this for Chestnut Nursery and the Sheltered Works Opportunity Project charity. It has been a very enjoyable project to be involved in, resulting in a great facility for the customers, staff and volunteers, and we wish it every success.”