Ball Stop Fencing Protects New Home Development

Solution

The new Bellway Homes development of 3, 4 and 5-bedroom homes in Moreton Vale, Buckinghamshire is ideally located to fast transport links, shopping, schools and amenities, including Buckingham Rugby Union Football Club. 

With the thriving rugby club sited right along the northern flank of the select development, there was clearly a need to protect homeowners and their new homes from the flight of stray rugby balls during practice and match days.

The team at Bellway Homes started their search for a mesh netting system that could stand as high as 9 metres to meet the design brief and be capable of withstanding the wind loading it would be exposed to. 

As pioneers of the double lattice post design for ball stop fencing systems in 1994 - a concept that delivers a light but incredibly rigid structure which allows nylon sports webbing or mesh to remain in situ throughout the year - Jacksons Fencing represented the natural choice of supplier for the project.

The 9 metre high, 145 metre run of Jacksons Ball Stop Fencing featuring polyethylene netting installed additionally serves as a temporary boundary between the development and the rugby grounds while the planned planting of trees and shrubs establish themselves over time.

As with any free-standing structure at 9 metres high, special care was taken both at the design stage where, height, weight and wind load factors were calculated and also in the specification for the foundations as the posts were to be surface mounted on base plates.

The strong and light galvanised and powder-coated steel lattice posts were installed at five metre centres and bolted to galvanised studs set in the 1200x900x800mm concrete foundations to ensure maximum stability, while the continuous top rail provides further rigidity and fixing points to attach the netting and prevent sagging.

The galvanised straining wires, clips and post fittings provide the finishing touches to the structure and allow the made to measure mesh to remain securely in place at all times.

The project was completed in just 23 days by the Jacksons installation team - from site preparation to final inspection - well ahead of the scheduled deadline. All works were thoughtfully scheduled to minimise disruption to residents who had recently moved into their new homes and to limit any potential damage to the established features of the landscape.