Guildmore’s Construction Business Unit secures contract to deliver civils works, walking routes, and a grab and go café at a major woodland regeneration project in Essex.
Hole Farm, a 100-hectare site in South Essex, is currently being transformed into a vibrant community woodland. Funded by National Highways and managed by Forestry England, the site will provide mitigation for the Lower Thames Crossing, a major infrastructure project that will provide a new road connection between Kent and Essex.
Once work at Hole Farm is complete, the site will feature newly planted woodland areas, walking routes, ecological ponds, and community facilities. To date, Forestry England have already planted over 150,000 trees.
Guildmore has been appointed to work in partnership with Balfour Beatty to assist with the transformation of the site. Our in house groundworks and civils teams will be responsible for forming footpaths and ecological ponds, helping to make the natural landscape more accessible for visitors to enjoy. Guildmore will also be constructing a sustainable grab and go café, toilets, car park and EV charging points.
Guildmore’s operations on this project, including the construction of the café, will be entirely fossil fuel free. We plan to achieve this by following an environmentally sensitive design approach and green construction methods, including:
- Carbon neutral Syntech ASB biofuel used for all vehicles and machinery on site.
- Café to be constructed using a sustainably sourced prefabricated timber frame.
- All hand tools and equipment used on site will be fully electric.
Craig Lauder, Head of Technical at Guildmore said:
“From the outset, we’ve scoped in carbon-free construction methods to minimise the environmental impact of our activities.
“The progress at Hole Farm has already positively transformed the local landscape and surroundings- we want to help protect and enhance this legacy by prioritising sustainability at every stage.”
Gareth Phillips, Construction Business Unit Director at Guildmore said:
“We’re proud to contribute towards the legacy of the Lower Thames Crossing through our work on Hole Farm, which will help visitors make the most of the diverse set of natural landscapes that Forestry England have established.
“In addition to our civils works, we hope that the new café will create a welcoming and sustainable space that enables people of all ages and backgrounds to enjoy the outdoors and better connect with nature.”
