A Case Study2  

Scurrah Associates Ltd 
From an Eyesore… to a Scenic Woodland Walk

Client: C F Harris Ltd of South Milford, North Yorkshire
Site History: Former limestone quarry & landfill site
Situation: In the heart of the countryside on the edge of a North Yorkshire village
Area: Five hectares
Soil: Thin layer of poor quality top soil, exposed site.

It was hardly a thing of beauty.  The former quarry and landfill site had become a convenient but unattractive base for the obsolete equipment of the site’s owners. 

“An eyesore… a blot on the landscape… you couldn’t describe it any other way” was the frank assessment by company chairman, John Middleton-Walker,  “But rather than simply returning it to rough pasture as per the planning requirement, we decided to improve it by turning it into a woodland area for the community.  We felt that with an imaginative scheme and financial input we could create something of real benefit.  Scurrah Associates had worked successfully on previous projects, so it was any easy decision to involve the company again” explained Mr Middleton-Walker.

The Scheme 

Clearance and preparation of site
Plantation of some 10,000 native broadleaf native species
Creation of:
woodland works
play area
picnic site
car park
Ongoing maintenance and replanting as necessary

The Result
“The site has been totally transformed.  The scheme was first rate, the work progressed on schedule, on budget and we were able to obtain a grant from the Forestry Commission.  We are so pleased with the way the scheme went that, as a former winner of a Sand & Gravel Restoration Award, we are thinking of entering it for a similar award”, said Mr Middleton-Walker.ether."

Case study 1....Scurrah Associates and Yorkshire Water