Agripower opens new doors with "turnkey" business

As one of the UK’s leading sports turf construction companies, Buckinghamshire based Agripower Limited has a 45 year heritage in delivering projects on budget, on spec and to tight deadlines. This experience and expertise has led the company to apply its attention to related building and construction projects, offering a complete “turnkey” operation to clients.

Agripower Limited director Graham Longdin says of the new venture: “traditionally we are sub-contracted to a builder who holds the reins of a project. We, however, took stock and decided to reorganise our resources and make the investment required to offer a totally turnkey operation and it has been an incredible success.” Agripower can now give customers the reassurance that it can provide a full range of services, and this has been demonstrated recently during a project in Wandsworth, South London. The project, valued at £1.8 million, lasted for 18 weeks and included construction of a pavilion, infrastructure and associated works; three natural turf games pitches and one all weather artificial pitch.

The building side of the project at the Ashcroft Technology Academy (ATA) in Wandsworth involved a contemporary designed pavilion with Kal-zip aluminium roof and five layer render finish, utilising a colour palette to reflect the school’s colours. Internally, four shower blocks and changing rooms, a breakout area, two further toilet blocks and a disabled toilet were constructed. For security, intruder and fire alarms were fitted along with remote CCTV systems. Externally; turnaround areas, disabled parking, a 10 metre wide access gate and access paths were added to the soft landscaping. All utility works, including storm and foul water sewerage systems, were completed by Agripower.

The academy’s sporting facilities included a training pitch, a ten strip cricket square and full size artificial hockey/football pitch. Main drainage was implemented for the site, which runs through a 120 cubic metre attenuation system and two Hydrobrake chambers to modulate outflow. The artificial pitch installation led to a number of challenges, including pockets of clay and sand strata which caused instability in the sub base. A 300mm layer was stabilised to form a ‘raft’ that met the required tolerances. The pitch was completed with 15mm shock pads, 18mm sand dressed carpet, remote switch floodlights and a 4.8 metre high fence.

The academy’s natural pitch installation delivered yet more challenges to Agripower, including glass and ceramic contamination in the topsoil layer. Stoneburying (twice) followed by a handpicking process resulted in a massive 7.5 tonnes of material being removed. To create an excellent growing medium, around 2,500 tonnes of an approved root zone was imported, spread and levelled to give a 100mm barrier. A ten strip cricket square was installed to Agripower’s design, leaving the academy with an affordable and easy to maintain wicket. A full year’s maintenance programme was included in the project’s budget too.

Richard Perry, from ATA Wandsworth, said: “Agripower had been appointed as a sub contractor to undertake development of an all weather playing surface and improvements to existing grassed pitches at Openview Sports Ground in Wandsworth, being the off-site sports facilities for Ashcroft Technology Academy. Agripower were able to take over the whole of the project, which included completion of the pavilion and changing rooms as well as a car park facility.”

Perry continues in saying: “Agripower did a superb job of taking this project to its conclusion with minimal delay and has left the Academy with excellent facilities for its on-going sporting requirements. Working relationships with the Agripower management team were first class throughout the project and you get a very real sense of complete pride and dedication in the work they undertake.”