Member Article

Raise the roof at Woburn

Russell Roof Tiles is taking centre stage at the newest Center Parcs holiday Village which has just opened its doors to short break guests.

Center Parcs Woburn Forest is the fifth holiday Village to be opened by the pioneering company, and the first new Village for 20 years - the £250 million project has been in construction for two years.

Russell Roof Tiles delivered a £750,000 contract to supply roofing solutions on all of the luxury lodges nestled in the forest which feature Grampian tiles and Russfast fixing. Unlike its other sites – Woburn Forest’s 625 lodges have been designed for the first time with traditional pitched roofing, offering a more upmarket design to the accommodation. Russell Roof Tiles supplied 840,000 Grampian tiles manufactured at its plant in Burton-on-Trent for the project.

Grampian is a flat interlocking roof tile which combines the traditional appearance of slates with the security of an interlocking design and the economy and sustainable credentials of concrete.

Center Parcs is committed to achieving carbon reduction and this latest project fits with the Government’s target for green investment and reduction in carbon emissions. Center Parcs has said that Woburn Forest will be an “exemplary sustainable tourism destination”. It has invested in energy efficiency and renewable technologies, including a biomass-powered district heating system and photovoltaic panels, in order to meet its target of consuming 25% less energy than the average existing Village.

Russell Roof Tiles Grampian featured on all of two, three and four bedroom lodges. The timber frame panels were constructed off-site, using sustainably sourced timber and all of the latest modern building materials before being assembled back on the 362 acre site. Grampian was used to combine the traditional appearance of slates with the security of an interlocking concrete tile. The project was installed by leading specialist roofing contractor Steadfast Roofing.

Martin Taylor, National Business Development Manager from Russell Roof Tiles commented; “We’re delighted to have worked with Center Parcs on this prestigious project which is a great showcase for our products. On a scheme of this nature, in the middle of a forest maintenance considerations are important which is why the maintenance free Russfast systems were specified.”

Set in 362 acres of forest, guests will be able to enjoy an extensive range of sports and leisure activities during their stay at Woburn Forest which has been 10 years in the making. At the heart of the Village there is a Subtropical Swimming Paradise, featuring water rides, lazy river, the wave pool and the outdoor Wild Water Rapids.

Martin added “Despite the challenge of weather, including eight weeks of snow when the roofing project started and the wettest winter since records began, we worked closely with Steadfast Roofing to maintain their programme for ISG to complete the lodges on time to ensure Woburn opened on schedule.”

Don Camilleri, Woburn Construction Director at Center Parcs said; “It has been a pleasure working with Russell Roof Tiles, they care as much as we do about the quality and design of their products and the results are fantastic. Woburn Forest opened to guests on the 6th June and it’s great to now see families admiring not just the quality and the finish of the Lodges but the rest of the Village too.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Kathryn Greenwood .