Sustainable fencing for garden towns and villages

Earlier this year, the UK government announced their new garden communities programme, calling for an increase in garden towns and villages in England: self-sustaining purpose-built settlements surrounded by green land, combining the best of urban and countryside living.

Design challenges for garden towns

Planners and designers of garden towns and villages typically seek to demonstrate design excellence, aesthetic attractiveness, sustainability and privacy. With such demands, specifiers of fencing in garden towns face a particular set of challenges.

To guarantee sustainable practice, steps should be taken to ensure that products used in these developments, such as fencing and gates, are sourced from sustainable sources and designed with the long term in mind. It is also important for planners to consider the environmental impacts garden towns can have on residents and the surrounding area none more so than the impact of noise. Among the many noises that are created as a result of urban and commercial expansion, is road noise. For many, living outside of cities in garden towns means commuting by car, while the growth of online, 24-hour and home deliveries increase the number of hours that noise intrusion can be expected to rise. One potential solution to such issues could be acoustic fencing.

Fencing for commercial sites and schools in garden towns

Acoustic fencing is also an ideal solution for commercial sites generating high levels of noise. The need for smaller ‘express’ style supermarkets has lead to an increase in the number of shops built in close proximity to residential areas; creating potential sources of noise throughout the day. A good example of how well acoustic fencing works in these situations is the case of a supermarket chain installing Jakoustic® Absorptive at two sites in Kent. This mitigated the noise created by HGVs and commercial operations in the loading bay, protecting the surrounding residential properties.

Jacksons Fencing is also a complete solutions provider for schools in garden towns and villages, which tend to be crowded, such as the ‘overburdened’ schools of Ebbsfleet. For safety, it’s vital to specify the correct fencing and gates in congested areas within the school boundary, controlling the flow of people and keeping children and vehicles separated. Jacksons has the right fencing to meet the security needs of your school with a range of timber and steel products to suit different applications, including vertical bar, mesh, sports and anti-trap fencing, all designed to fit the aesthetic of a school environment.

The best fencing for garden towns and villages

For new homes in garden towns, contemporary timber fencing offers a stylish solution to meet the needs for a sustainable and attractive garden fence. At Jacksons we have a wide range of specialist handmade softwood fence panels available in modern designs that blend in with the natural environment – essential in maintaining the pastoral aesthetic of a garden village. Made from high-quality timber from sustainable sources and complete with a 25 year Jakcure® guarantee, our timber fencing includes solid and semi-solid panels for those who want a fence for privacy and others who want decoration in contemporary urban gardens.

The sustainable timber employed in the manufacture of Jacksons’ fencing and gates is certified by the Forest Stewardship Council and the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification.