Project Title: Reculver Visitor Centre
Client: Canterbury City Council
Value: £220,000.00
Project Brief: The centre is owned by Canterbury City Council, managed by Kent Wildlife Trust and is visited by thousands of people a year to explore natural history and fossils of the shoreline along the Kent coast at Reculver Country Park. The extension will provide Kent Wildlife Trust with classroom space for the students it teaches each year and room for more information about the area for visitors. Renewable energy has been the focus of the project. The log burner will be fuelled with logs from the Blean woodland, while the photovoltaic panels will convert sunlight to electricity to power the centre and the solar panels will use sunlight to heat water. The centre has been constructed in sustainably-sourced local chestnut and features two skylights that maximise natural light levels in the building. Three large windows provide views to the Reculver Towers, clifftop grassland and the turbines of the Kentish Flats Windfarm that are located 8.5km off the Reculver coastline. Funding for the extension has come from the Windfarm Project with a contribution from Kent Wildlife Trust. It was built by WW Martin. The council’s Senior Countryside Officer, Anna Palmer, said: “The new centre is one of the most environmentally-friendly buildings in the district and will provide visitors to Reculver and students with a wonderful place to learn more about the area and the local environment. We are really pleased with the end result and look forward to welcoming our first guests in July.” Chief Executive of Kent Wildlife Trust, John Bennett, said: “Reculver is a great place to tell the story of our changing coastline and the effect that has on our wildlife and history. Now, there is a new story – how we can use technology to help protect our environment. Kent Wildlife Trust is really pleased to be working alongside Canterbury City Council at the great new centre – come and visit us!”
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