Knightstone Island going green

A ROCKERY, paved areas and a grass bank are just a few of the features which could soon be put in place at an historic Weston site.North Somerset Council has now approved a contractor to create the public open spaces work at Knightstone Island, which will cost nearly £1million.At the local authority's executive meeting last Tuesday, councillors awarded the contract to Ardmore Construction Limited, the only company to submit a tender.The 'public realms' work, which will be funded by the South West Regional Development Agency and developer Redrow Homes, is expected to cost £948,000.Plans include putting in hard and soft landscaping and creative lighting around the island.A grassed area will be put in at the side of Dr Fox's Bath House and there will be several tiered areas nearby, including a restaurant terrace with steps leading up to it, attached to the building itself.A rockery will be put in Carriage Drive at the entrance to the development, along with slab paving. Most of the roads will be laid with a mixture of tarmac and chippings.The Harbour Walk Steps leading from the side of the promenade will be rebuilt and new handrails put in. Resin gravel will be put right around the island.The work needs to be carried out this Spring if it is to meet the project's time scale for completion.Developer Redrow this week confirmed it hopes to complete the creation of 87 apartments within the three Grade II listed buildings on the island by the beginning of April.Tenders for the work had to be submitted by January 10. Originally three companies expressed an interest in carrying out the work but two said they did not have the facilities to complete the job. Work outside the public realm scheme, on things like shared public and private garden walls, will be funded by developer Redrow.