by Lee Fiorentino | Jan 30, 2019 | Event Management, Events, Reinstatement
It has been just over 3 weeks since Winterville left Clapham Common and the large fence was replace with the current fence. In this time the event organisers have undertaken a fine litter pick, harrowed the ground to break up surface dirt which leveled out minor ruts and lift the grass. Then they vertidrained to help de-compact the ground. Last week the EvnetLambeth and Winterville agreed the second phase of work. Pre and Post event ground surveys were compared and the scope of work was agreed. Towards the end of this week or beginning of next (weather permitting) the contractors undertaking the reinstatement work for the organisers will bring on top soil to level out isolated areas. The Agronomist also recommended use of slow release fertiliser to help the grass on the ground to recover which will also be undertake this or next week (weather permitting) The final phase of the reinstatement will then be the re-seeding. The organisers shared the following information with regard to this phase with us today as part of their reinstatement interim report: From first week in February onwards, regular inspections by the agronomist will aim to identify the earliest suitable opportunity for double and triple pass seeding. This is driven primarily by the ground achieving a suitable temperature for germination of the grass seed. While it is possible to seed in advance of this temperature being reached, it is likely that the result in a higher proportion of the seed being lost to rot or scavenging. Potentially reducing the overall effectiveness. So it is a wait and see game on the seeding.... by Gabi Grose | Jan 9, 2019 | Events, Reinstatement
Winterville has now left Clapham Common and all event infrastructure has been removed. A temporary fence has been installed and will remain in place while reinstatement is carried out. On Tuesday 8th January, the Lambeth Events Team undertook a full inspection with the Winterville organisers to record the conditions of the ground and Talbot Landscapes began ground works. The event site is currently being scarified to break up the surface mud and lift the grass, this will continue throughout Wednesday. Below is a picture we took onsite yesterday as works started. Below is a photo of the ground following the first section of scarifying. On Thursday and Friday, verti-draining will take place to slit the ground and allow aeration which decompacts the ground and encourages the grass to come back. In addition to this Talbots Landscapes will be filling holes and levelling out selected areas. Over the coming weeks the grass will green, grow and dirt will wash off the surface when it rains. Next week we will update on the long term reinstatement programme and the likely schedule of works for the area. During the reinstatement process we want to ensure the fence line is maintained and will be monitoring this, however if you do see it is damaged please do call the office on 0207 926 6207 or email on events@lambeth.gov.uk. Please note that as with all events the ground reinstatement costs are covered by the event organisers. ... by Lee Fiorentino | Jan 3, 2019 | Events, Reinstatement
Winterville had a very successful 5 and bit weeks run on Clapham Common. With more family focused activities on offer this year the event has proved very popular with all age groups. The doors closed to the public on Sunday 23rd December and with the exception of Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Years Day the site crew have been working to load out the event infrastructure. The Lambeth Events team have monitored the event build, operational and now load out periods. Throughout all stages of the event we had observed excellent working practices that have ensured a safe and well run event site, for both public and staff. As I mentioned in the blog post pre Winterville opening, there were additional measures in place this year of which the 3 key areas were: a) Increased ground protection b) Robust vehicle management on site c) All built structures are elevated and have temporary flooring – ensuring a gap between floor and grass for air circulation We have seen a vast improvement on the condition of the ground post event that what was not seen this time last year. HOWEVER There is impact to the ground, as there is with any event coming off the common. You will see when the fence line comes down over the next few days something like this – Lush Green Grass, Yellow Grass and Brown areas where there is surface mud on top of grass. The picture below we took at our site visit today and clearly shows different types and areas of impact from the event. NEXT STEPS Talbot Landscapes are the company who will be managing the reinstatement of the... by Event Lambeth | Nov 9, 2018 | Events
Winterville is back on Clapham Common. The event build began just over a week ago and in less than a week it will open to the public, on Thursday 15th November. If you want to find out more about what’s on at Winterville then head to their website – www.winterville.co.uk Once you are on Winterville website do have a look at the community page you will find information on local resident and businesses discounts and schools offers. EventLambeth team have worked very closely with the event organisers and their new production company to ensure lessons learnt from the first year of Winterville have been carried over and improvements made. Some of the changes for 2018 include: a) Reduced overall footprint of the site by 20% b) Increased ground protection c) Robust vehicle management on site d) All built structures are elevated and have temporary flooring – ensuring a gap between floor and grass for air circulation c) More focus on family and children’s activities You might have noticed that the event has taken longer to build this year. The extra days meant that all trackway and ground protection measures were in place before construction of the site began. Reinstatement was a huge issue with the event in January this year when they came off site. This has been addressed in the planning application and event assessment process. EventLambeth will share further information towards the end of the Winterville run in December about the full reinstatement plan. But rest assured a Landscaping Company will be in place at the beginning of December to monitor the ground and will begin work... by Event Lambeth | Sep 25, 2018 | Event Management, Events, Uncategorized
Although the long hot summer has been wonderful for use all, the grass across all our parks and commons have struggled. The last event on Clapham Common for the summer events season was SW4. They left site on Friday 31st August but the contractors, Talbots, were on the event site from Thursday 30th August starting the reinstatement work. They began with Grass Harrowing – this is where they scrape the surface lightly and break the top soil and any mud that has accumulated and lift up the grass. Then they vertidrained the site– this is the process where a drum with tines on it that they roll over the ground and create series of holes in the ground. This works to de-compact the ground and helps get air and water to the roots. A few days later they came back and fertilised and disc-seeded. This is a machine which has a blade the cuts a shallow channel which seed is pumped into and then a roller pushes the soil back over the top. The majority of the event site was disc seeded 1 way and where there were areas of greater impact form summer events Talbots then went over these areas a further 2 times. This process also leaves some seeds on the top of the ground and often where they have lifted the rollers to make a turn what is left in the pipes falls out onto the top of the ground. These areas are evident by the clusters of birds. The picture below is of the disc seeder on at work on Brockwell Park. The... by Event Lambeth | Jun 21, 2018 | Community Enagement, Events, Information and Guidance
The Verti -draining has been done to de compress the ground. The chain harrow has been done to lift the grass and encourage it to spring back. On Tuesday we began to lay the new turf in the first stage (pre Lambeth Country Show). Now what’s needed is a good rain shower over the next couple of days just to get that grass growing. BBC Weather isn’t forecasting any. So Talbots are on the job and have their water bowser on the park watering the new turf areas and then onto the dry brown patches of grass. However, if anyone has a good rain dance then do pop down to Brockwell – our new turf would be grateful. Talbots also had a delivery of 20 tons of top soil today and they will begin to start working on areas where there were deep ruts and areas of uneven surfaces. Working is progressing well and we’ll continue to update you. Below are some pictures of the new turf going in. It will be rolled and evened out and then the joins will knit together and the edges will be tided up.... 
