Brambledown and Johnsons supply lakeside services

Motorists stopping for a break at the new Skelton Lakes service station on the M1 near Leeds can enjoy glorious landscaped lakeside gardens thanks to BALI Registered Contractor Brambledown Landscape Services and Registered Affiliate Johnsons of Whixley.

Johnsons supplied plants worth more than £110,000 to the scheme, which aims to bring new levels of design and quality to visitors when it opens this summer.

The area, at Junction 45, will include a business centre and community facilities, in addition to a range of food and drink outlets, a visitor area and lakeside viewing deck across a total of 30 acres. The main building will feature exposed timber beams and a 'living green roof' to reflect the landscape.

Johnsons worked with client Brambledown Landscape Services to supply more than 25,000 plants for the landscaping scheme, including more than 3,900 Persicaria 'Darjeeling Red', 3,600 Carpinus betulus, 2,800 crataegus monogyna and 1,100 Euphorbia griffithii 'Fireglow'.

Also incorporated in the supply was over 400 trees, with varieties including over 60 Acer camp. 'Streetwise', 120 Betula pendula, 60 Alnus glutinosa and 45 Pinus sylvestris.

Eleanor Richardson, Johnsons marketing manager, said:

"Skelton Lakes aims to bring a new concept of the motorway service station to Yorkshire, with unprecedented levels of design set in acres of gardens. We were delighted to be asked by our long-standing client Brambledown Landscape Services to supply the vast majority of plants for this project. The project  features dog walking areas, cycle links and a new footpath to enhance the conservation attributes of Skelton Lake."

Brambledown Director, Paul Curry said:

"It was a pleasure to work with Johnsons of Whixley again on such a large Commercial Landscape Project near Leeds. We have continued to plant thousands of trees and shrubs at Skelton Lakes Service Station throughout the Covid-19 pandemic while implementing all necessary Public Health England and Government industry safe working practices. It has been a very challenging project, but we have worked very closely with the client, and main contractor to ensure our programmed landscape works could progress."

The development will form part of a ‘Green corridor' linking Grade 1 listed Temple Newsam House to the north and Rothwell Country Park to the south.