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PROJECT

thereby strengthening community morale.

There was an opportunity to upgrade and
refurbish the existing park to promote
sustainability, address environmental
concerns, enhance the area and promote
community integration. The park is situated
in a high traffic area and is close to schools,
a clinic, police station, library, day care
centres and a shopping mall. There is a
watercourse alongside the police station.
“This first phase is the starting point of the
municipality’s vision,” says Francis.
The brief was to create a peoples’ park The park caters for all age groups, with play equipment, seating and braai facilities
which would cater for all age groups, and
the following facilities were requested: a
children’s play area, life-size chess board,
family braai areas, benches, bicycle and
jogging paths, adult outdoor gym and an
amphitheatre. In addition, the park was
to be screened off from heavy traffic, with
dedicated off-street parking for visitors.

The brief also emphasised:
• meandering walkways resembling the
informal paths originally created by
residents of the area. There are large
grassed patches for playing and an
abundance of landscaping;
• control of the existing stormwater;
• retaining the grassed dunes to tuck the
amphitheatre into the embankments;
• public ablutions designed as an
architectural sculpture in the park. The
apertures in the face walls of the ablution
block light up at night when the park is
quiet;
• relocation of the existing Shembe Church
and place of worship; and
• the preservation of certain existing trees.
Landscape installation
Marcus Govender of Conmar Horticulture
says they were appointed by the civils
contractor to carry out the following scope
of work:
• design, supply and install a waterwise QC
valve irrigation system;
• supply and install all landscaping works as
per design;
• supply and install the children’s play
equipment and outdoor gym equipment Adult outdoor gym facilities
in the demarcated areas; and
• post-completion horticultural mainte-
nance for three months.

Govender says that one day after
commencing work, everything had to be
suspended due to the Covid lockdown. This

presented a challenge as they had already
received a delivery of plant material for • horticulture • sportsfields • irrigation
use in the early phases of installation. They
had to set up an onsite nursery and one • landscaping • maintenance • civils
employee was required to come in three
times a week to irrigate the plants.

of ce: +27 86 111 2020 mobile: +27 71 609 7337
Another challenge was that the plant pallet
was that of a wetland theme, however email: info@conmargroup.co.za www.conmargroup.co.za
the site was no longer a wetland since
the civils contractor had imported vast • GAUTENG • KWA-ZULU NATAL • EASTERN CAPE

10 Landscape SA • Issue 116 2022