Landscaping - Landscaping miscellaneous (20% VAT)

The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew requires landscaping work to create the Kitchen Garden, 'Kew's Edible Science Garden'. The work includes the installation of new path surfaces, metal-edged planting beds, fencing, gates, brick-paved areas, an open-sided green roof structure, irrigation points, structures for climbing plants and a fruit cage. The new garden is located on the site of the current kitchen garden at RBG Kew and will open to visitors in early spring 2022.

Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew is a world-famous centre for botanical and mycological knowledge. With our two inspiring gardens at Kew Gardens in west London and Wakehurst in Sussex, we enchant our visitors with the wonder of plant diversity and botanical science.

At Kew Gardens, the kitchen garden was created for the television series 'Kew on a Plate' in 2015. Since then, the garden has grown in popularity and become a key visitor attraction, offering seasonal vegetables and choice cultivars on display throughout the year. Currently, the Kitchen Garden is open to visitors and school groups, holding focused events including weekly horticulture and science tours and produce sales. The location of the garden is in the northeast corner of Kew:

The current site is not fit for purpose, as grass paths are inaccessible for wheelbarrows, wheelchair users and prams in wet weather. There is also no gathering space or shelter from the rain for group tours and demonstrations. An open boundary and lack of suitable netting provides little protection from pests. See drawing RBGK-11566-100-102 Existing Landscape Plan.

The proposal is to convert the grass turf paths to porous, self-binding gravel, installed mostly without excavation, using a cellular confinement system. This surface is a loose material that compacts with use but retains porosity and was successfully used with metal edging in the recently renovated Agius Evolution Garden. The planting areas will be raised up slightly using metal edges and will promote the current approach of no dig cultivation.

Designated entrance areas and a gathering/education space will be paved with clay brick pavers to provide a hard-wearing surface; in-keeping with the existing brick walls and brick edging along the Rose Pergola walkway.

You are hereby invited to submit a tender to meet the Customer's requirements in accordance with the specification and associated documents as contained within the tender pack.

This opportunity has been distributed on adamprocure.co.uk