IN ASSOCIATION WITH
HOW GREEN IS YOUR BUSINESS?
Warrington Mayor, Cllr John Adams, centre, opened Birchwood Park's Bike Centre with park asset manager Jonathan Black, left, and Nick Frost, of occupier Fircroft
Business park opens Cycle Centre Birchwood employees leading the way in cutting transport emissions
ONE of the North West’s biggest business parks – MEPC Birchwood Park, in Warrington – has opened a £60,000 Cycle Centre to help people who cycle to work. Currently standing at 5% of Birchwood Park’s workforce, the number of cycle commuters at the park is rising year-on-year, and members of its 300-strong bike user group were present at the Cycle Centre launch. This initiative is the latest stage in the business park’s nine-year-old, award-winning
sustainable travel plan. The Cycle Centre extends its existing cycling facilities to include 120 additional lockers, cycle parking, refurbished showers, a drying room, dedicated cycle hire shelter and a cycle repair area. Bike maintenance classes and surgeries will be undertaken regularly by experts from local specialist cycle shop, Cyclehouse. The Cycle Centre was created in response to feedback from Birchwood Park’s regular occupier travel surveys.
The park already offers a comprehensive network of cycling routes and bike hire facility, and recently undertook a cycling project dedicated to help reduce carbon emissions generated by the park. MEPC Birchwood Park’s managing director, Jonathan Walsh, who this summer cycled 500km from London to Paris for local charities, said: “MEPC Birchwood Park is dedicated to promoting and facilitating environmentally sustainable
travel, and our travel management plan is an area of ongoing investment and competitive advantage. “This investment has resulted in great progress across the board, including a rise in the number of cycle commuters from 3% of occupants in 2008 to 5% this year. “The new Cycle Centre will extend the appeal of cycling to work to an even greater number of occupiers. “It will help to make it an even
more enjoyable and convenient means of transport. “We believe that there are many people who would like to cycle to work, be it every day or on an occasional basis, but who, for a variety of reasons, have yet to do so. “By making it easier to cycle to work, by providing dedicated lockers, numerous showers and drying rooms, more and more people will change the habit of a lifetime, leave their car at home and use their bike.”
Liverpool firm protects Oxford University grounds AN ENVIRONMENTALLY friendly ground protection system, manufactured by Liverpool-based Centriforce Products, has been selected to protect the grounds of one of Oxford University’s oldest colleges. During an 84- week restoration project, more than 5,000 sq ft of grounds at Brasenose College have been covered using the heavy
duty Stokbord ground protection mats, making it the single biggest on-site deployment of its kind in the UK to date. Stokbord mats are manufactured entirely from waste sourced in the UK by Centriforce, an independent recycler of plastic waste into end-use products. It was awarded the work by main on-site contractor,
Kingerlee. Keith Shackleton, health and safety manager with responsibility for environmental policy at Kingerlee, said: “Our customers value the environmental approach we take to each project and our commitment to sourcing materials from sustainable supplies. “Stokbord mats are made from 100% recycled plastic
and can be re-used or recycled after each usage, making them far more cost-effective.” Simon Carroll, managing director at Centriforce said: “Our products help to divert plastic waste from landfill and reduce carbon footprint, helping our customers demonstrate that they are environmentally responsible businesses.”
Simon Carroll, managing director of Centriforce
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