Crest Nicholson has won a Silver Award for its wellness themed garden at this year’s RHS Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival, which took place from Monday 1st to Sunday 7th July. Having impressed the RHS judges, the ‘Livewell Garden’ will feature at Crest Nicholson’s proposed new development Charter Park in Chelmsford.
The public park, which took more than 140 hours to build and incorporates over 50 different species and varieties of plants, was designed by David Jarvis Associates and built by Bespoke Outdoor Spaces and Writtle University College in Chelmsford. Inspired by Essex County Council and Chelmsford City Council’s livewell guidelines, as well as Crest Nicholson’s Garden Village Principles, the space is designed to promote mental and physical wellbeing, with a variety of flexible areas and breakout spaces.
The park included a community space, a contemplation area and a multitude of movable seats, as well providing disabled accessibility so everyone can reap its benefits. The garden is immersed in greenery, and nectar rich flower species have been selected to attract a wide array of wildlife. Planting includes trees with edible fruits such as crab apple and serviceberry as well as ornamental shrubs bearing fruit including gooseberries, honeyberries and wild strawberries. These encourage the theme of ‘eating well’ and provide inspiration for people keen to grow their own.
The ‘livewell garden’ is the first of its kind to be commissioned by Crest Nicholson. Once the festival is complete, it will be replicated at Charter Park, the housebuilder’s proposed new residential development to the west of Chelmsford. The development will create up to 900 new homes, a care home, new primary school, retail facilities and an ecological park. The first homes are expected to be complete in spring 2022.
Andrew Dobson, Managing Director at Crest Nicholson Strategic Projects, said: “It was a real privilege to exhibit our public garden at RHS Hampton Court Garden Festival, the world’s largest and most prestigious flower show. The theme of wellbeing, which was chosen for the livewell garden, is an important factor for Crest Nicholson when it comes to building and creating new communities. Many of our developments adopt our Garden Village Principles, which involve building high quality, sustainable neighbourhoods which encourage healthy living. We were delighted to be given the opportunity to showcase this new concept at such a high-profile event and hope it will inspire our communities.”
Aleksandra Bartczak, Landscape Architect at David Jarvis Associates, said: “We have been working with Crest Nicholson for over six years, and were thrilled when they approached us to design a show garden for the festival.
“The garden has been created to aid the wellbeing of the community, providing a sensory space where people of all ages can interact or find quiet respite for a moment of contemplation, whilst surrounded by beautiful wildlife.”
The RHS Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival is the largest annual flower show in the world. The festival does not only display gardens, but each year also hosts workshops and competitions, with visitors invited to enjoy live music and fantastic food.
Back