Colourful visitor footpaths for a busy leisure park

A new surface was required for the extensive footpaths at a new £12 million leisure park in Snowdonia, North Wales that was being built on a former industrial site in the Conwy valley. The site was based around a fresh water inland surf lagoon capable of generating artificial waves of up to 2m in height. It was the 1,800m² footpath around this lagoon that required surfacing. The new surface needed to look attractive to potential visitors and offer a more natural look than a conventional asphalt or concrete. It would need to complement the setting in a wooded valley and the adjacent Site of Special Scientific Interest. It also needed to be durable enough to cope with the 70,000 visitors expected to visit the site each year and resist use by the service vehicles that would maintain the site.

ULTICOLOUR, Tarmac’s coloured asphalt was chosen in a buff gravel colour for use on pedestrian areas throughout the site. Using a high performance clear binder, ULTICOLOUR offers far brighter colours than conventional asphalts. It also uses colour matched aggregates that complement the chosen pigment. This delivers deeper colours that last, despite surface wear. ULTICOLOUR is highly durable, delivering lasting performance, even in busy environments such as tourist sites and entertainment venues. ULTICOLOUR offers architects a range of colours that complement a range of environments and architectural styles, from bright red and greens to more neutral buff, natural and grey colours.

ULTICOLOUR can be laid quickly over large areas using conventional paving machines of the type used to surface roads. As a result the contractor, Tarways, was able to complete the work in just two days. This helped to keep the programme on course for the August 2015 opening to visitors. The buff colour and finish perfectly suited this aquatic leisure environment. ULTICOLOUR had previously been used a number of popular tourist sites including the iconic promenade at Blackpool, London Zoo and the visitor centre at Stonehenge. As a result the client was assured that ULTICOLOUR would provide a long lasting finish. The resulting smooth, even surface was safe for pedestrians and the 100+ site staff who used it on a regular basis.