A bespoke asphalt colour option for Scarborough’s South Cliff Gardens

The Project

Aggregate Industries supplied SuperColour Ultra asphalt in a bespoke colour for resurfacing and restoring the old paths as part of a major restoration project at Scarborough’s South Cliff Gardens.

The Brief

The historic South Cliff Gardens are located on the South Bay of Scarborough, extending almost 900 metres along the steep cliff side. Comprising a series of seaside walks and gardens, this stunning space dates back to the mid-19th century and includes a series of features including a bandstand, summerhouse and rose garden.

Following a successful bid in 2019 by the Friends of South Cliff Gardens, South Cliff Community Group and Scarborough Borough Council, a £4.66million grant from the National Lottery Heritage Fund and Community Fund was secured for the restoration of the gardens.

Work began in February 2022 on a series of improvements to repair, restore and enhance the fabric of South Cliff Gardens, breathing new life into the area and improving public facilities. The improvements would include restoration of the garden’s 13 shelters, opening of the Cliff Lift Tunnel, creation of a new family hub with play area and construction of a new community and operations building.

In addition, improvements were planned to enhance paths across the site and delineate the most accessible route through the gardens.

The Solution

Contractors EC Surfacing were engaged to complete the surfacing works and had no hesitation in specifying Aggregate Industries’ SuperColour Ultra 6mm asphalt. Available in a variety of colours, SuperColour Ultra allows clients to enhance safety and delineate walkways through colour-coded demarcation areas.

Manufactured using plant-based, renewable technologies, it uses a translucent penetration grade binder to enable the distinctive pigmentation opportunities. And Aggregate Industries went one step further for the South Cliff Gardens project, developing a bespoke ‘light buff’ colour to meet the client’s exact requirements.

After seeing a sample of the ‘natural’ and ‘buff’ colour options, EC Contracting and Scarborough Borough Council felt a pigment part way between the two would be more appropriate. Aggregate Industries mixed natural and buff to achieve the exact finish required; light buff.

In excess of 400 tonnes of asphalt was supplied for South Cliff Gardens, made in small compounds close to the site to help minimise disruption in a peak tourist area. Small dumpers were used to deliver material to the site due to the narrow footpaths in the gardens.

Lee Sutton, Contracts Director from EC Surfacing said: “Aggregate Industries left no stone unturned to deliver exactly the product we wanted, listening to our feedback on colours and working to produce a bespoke colour option that was perfect for this project.

“South Cliff Gardens is an historic and prestigious site that welcomes thousands of visitors each year on the Scarborough seafront. We’re delighted to have played our part in their restoration with the support of Aggregate Industries.”