The construction industry’s charity CRASH was called upon to help Emmaus Village Carlton, a charity in Bedfordshire that provides employment and social enterprise opportunities for former homeless people, make its customers feel welcome from the very moment they step onsite. ACO’s award winning ground reinforcement system was then chosen for car park improvement works.

CRASH and Emmaus Village Carlton have been working together on a number of projects over the years. Previous to this collaboration, the old building was so cold that Companions (residents) had to work in their coats, gloves and hats and customers used to complain about it.

The next job that followed the improvement of the internal facilities was the development of the parking space. In order to create more spaces, a grass lawn area was designed for the new car park. ACO Water Management donated £9,000 worth of its lightweight ground reinforcement system, GroundGuard.

The permeable gravel-filled system is over 90% porous and delivers a highly efficient rate of surface water run-off. This was a key consideration, given the fact the car park was to be built over a piece of grassland. The sustainable benefits of GroundGuard were a huge selling point, as not only is the system environmentally friendly, but it is also cost-effective as it eliminates the expense of having to install a supplementary drainage system.

In addition, GroundGuard is quick and easy to install, which ensured that the project was going to be completed in the specified five week timeframe. The system holds the gravel in place and helps keep the maintenance down to a minimum. Overall, it has delivered on all aspects of the project and the parking area is now safe, clean and aesthetically pleasing.

The 250 sqm car park is located just a short distance away from the bistro and will help relieve the current pressure on the main car park, which can become very busy at lunchtimes during the week.