Hillsborough Pumptrack

We were appointed by Sheffield City Council, to design and build a facility with a 170m main track, a 46m beginners track and a learn-to-ride area. The facility also included a comprehensive drainage scheme, floodlighting, social space, street furniture, storage container and water supply. 

The site sits adjacent to existing hard surfaced football and tennis courts on a gently sloping area of park grassland. The site area was constrained by a 25m wide access for an annual music festival held in the park. The designs were submitted for planning with adjustments made to discharge planning conditions applied.Two pump tracks were included in the development. A beginner track with low level features to provide young and beginner riders with a dedicated space to practice and have fun on. Connected to this was a larger track, with higher berms and larger features. The design had multiple connections with transfer lines included in the designs. The design included a shared social space and rest area. DDA compliant access ramps were included for spectators/supervisors. 

A comprehensive drainage design was developed by subcontracted drainage specialists McCloy Consulting Ltd, using data obtained from a BRE365 infiltration test. The low infiltration rates and location within flood zone 2 presented a challenge for the drainage, but a solution was developed - an 800m2 drainage blanket beneath the Pump Track to attenuate the rainfall. Runoff was controlled by a weir chamber and the outlet was connected to an existing surface water drain. Surface water on the L2R area was managed by a 1 in 80 camber and ACO drains. A rain garden was installed to manage water in an area that sat below the level of the outlet drain. The drainage scheme was designed to accommodate a 1 in 30 year rainfall event +40% to account for climate change.

All of the internal landscaped areas were turfed with wildflowers because wildflowers attract and sustain a substantial number of wildlife species, and can help to regulate water filtration systems. In addition, wildflowers are resilient and are able to survive with little human intervention. They provide a great aesthetic and increase biodiversity.