In 2016, the owners of Olicana Park at Addingham acquired an existing caravan park nestled on the banks of the River Wharfe. They had a clear vision for the development of the park which was in need of some TLC. The idea was to create a luxurious home away from home experience for their guests that would keep them coming back time after time. Consisting of 3 distinct parts, the park now houses 4 cottages, 5 luxury cabins and 29 static caravans plus a fully fitted cabin cafe bistro.
The existing park has a ‘normal’ vehicle barrier controlling access to the site. The new owners felt that this wasn’t innkeeping with the aspirations they had for the development, but recognised that the site needed to be secure.
Following a site visit and discussions with the client, we could see the high-end environment that they were hoping to create, and agreed that we would have to come up with something a little bit special for this particular project. We went away and had discussions with various suppliers. We felt that the appropriate method of security would be a sliding gate, however, we knew that an industrial looking unit would not be innkeeping with the park’s luxurious setting. We suggested a cantilever sliding gate – a safe, compact, quiet and smooth operating system. The cantilever design means that the gate is supported from one end as it opens and closes, so there is no need for a track to be fitted across the entrance.
A single cantilever gate can span widths of up to 10m and can be installed on uneven ground, over block paving, grass or even water. The gate glides on two sets of support/ guide rollers, fixed to a concrete foundation, hidden within the main lower beam extrusion, protecting them from the elements ensuring a reliable, smooth and virtually silent operation. The clients were happy with the cantilever design so we put a specification together for them of an aluminium gate in RAL7016 colourway with a laser cut out logo. The gate design was based on the traditional 5 bar format, with the logo featuring in the centre. Access through the gate was set up via code or fob with the keypad located to the right hand side of the unit, with exit via a free exit loop.
netconnect September 21st, 2023
Posted In: Case Studies
We were contacted by a local firm who have been manufacturing glass fibre products for over 40 years, supplying gate houses, cabinets, kiosks and enclosures to various industries throughout the UK. They provide standard or bespoke products and manufacture to suit any size and specification requirements.
With experience in marine, rail and utilities industries, they are proven GRP design and build experts. In December 2021, our clients had some unwanted visitors to the premises, and with the Christmas shut down only days away, they approached us to provide an emergency CCTV installation to give coverage while the premises were empty over Christmas. With literally only a few days to go before deliveries and suppliers finished for the hoidays, we needed to act fast but make sure we didn’t compromise on product performance due to availability and timescales.
On meeting with the management on site, we discussed the need for further expansion of the CCTV system in the future so we needed to take this in to account when specifying the equipment, and eventually decided on the following:
SYSTEM SPECIFICATION:
The system allows both remote monitoring by the management with app arming and disarming with push notification of activations via the app. Users are also able to warn off intruders with 2 way audio and strobe/warning sounds. The system is also enabled for monitoring by a third party remote receiving centre, providing 24hr, 365 day protection.
CAMERA SPECIFICATION:
Since the installation on 2021, we have returned and added additional cameras and coverage accross more of the site, utilising the scope for expansion as allowed for in the original specification.
netconnect September 21st, 2023
Posted In: Case Studies
The demand for WiFi on parks has increased hugely over the past few years as more devices become reliant on the technology. The introduction of ‘smart TVs’ has seen a huge shift in the requirements for the way people watch TV, with many viewers now rarely watching ‘live TV’, instead opting for catch up and streaming services such as BBC iPlayer, Netflix and Sky Go.
This has lead to many parks re-evaluating their provisions, with the need for ‘future proofing’ becoming more apparent as technology changes around us. One of our recently completed installations is at Seafield Caravan Park, situated on the beautiful Northumberland coast. The park consists of approximately 500 units, ranging from predominantly owner occupied vans, along with a hire fleet and a small number of touring pitches.
In the early days, the park management had a WiFi network installed primarily to give users limited connectivity (general web browsing, email access, etc.), before upgrading the rental vans 4 years ago with a ‘direct to van’ solution, which proved far more reliable that the existing ‘through the window’ provision.
Since this upgrade, the park have continued to research various technologies, with the hope of giving some longevity to their systems and to future proof their development; however, being situated in a remote area meant that superfast broadband took it’s time to arrive…..
Once the service was live in the village of Seahouses, the team felt it was time to upgrade their existing provision, so following discussions with a consultant, and investigating other available options, including 4G private WiFi and EOC (Ethernet over Coax), they agreed that a hard-wired fibre optic underground system was the way forward and the project was sent out to tender. Upon receipt of the tender documents, we set about putting a specification together for the park owners. Following some recent in house testing, we recommended to the consultant the benefits of a GPON (Gigabit Passive Optical Network) system compared to the AON (Active Optical Network) and felt that this would be a good way forward for the park as it would allow for future upgrades of the TV/satellite system and easy park expansion if required.
The entire installation would need to included full site planning and connection to 520 pitches. The park already had their own experienced maintenance team on site so some aspects of the installation (cabinets, cables, etc.) could be carried out by them, thus reducing installation costs and enabling us to specify as follows:
What is GPON?
GPON, or Gigabit Passive Optical Network systems are currently the leading form of passive optical networks, relying on optical cables to deliver information, and as such, are up to 95% more efficient than a standard copper wire. In addition to this increased efficiency, GPON networks are a low cost solution to adding users through splitters, making it a desirable option in populated areas.
GPON Benefits:
Client Testimonial:
“Being a total novice when discussing internet technology, how refreshing it has been to be involved with a family run business, similar to ourselves, who have made the entire process so seamless. Whilst the groundworks have been carried out by our own workforce, all of the design and fibre optic element of the installation has been completed by Howson’s fantastic team of employees who have been a pleasure to work with. Any minor teething problems have been rectified almost immediately, regardless of day, or time of day; what a refreshing change from a previous experience. The GPON system which was suggested by Matthew Howson has, in the relatively short time it has been completed, been excellent, with very positive feedback from our customers. All in all, the entire process has been very professionally handled and we look forward to giving our customers the superb internet facility which they require.”
Ken Britton
Owner, Seafield Caravan Park
netconnect September 21st, 2023
Posted In: Case Studies
Far Arnside Park has been part of the Holgates Family Group since the 1980s. Enjoying a costal setting in the South Lakes, the park offers direct sea views across Morecambe Bay from it’s position at Silverdale. The park is open exclusively for holiday home owners. With clients receiving access to the 5* leisure facilities comprising of a swimming pool, sauna & steam room. The park is perfectly situated for total relaxation with plenty to see & do, surrounded by the coastal villages of Silverdale & Arnside, whilst being a short journey away from the beautiful Lake District.
Holgates are a long standing customer of Howsons Netconnect and we have built up a strong and successful relationship over the years, carrying out works on all of the sites within the group.
Up until 2022, there had not been a barrier installed at Far Arnside for a couple of reasons:
As technology has progressed, so have the options for remote system and access management, and so Michael decided to revisit the possibility of having a barrier installed at Far Arnside. After some discussions over requirements and suitability, we decided that a new Automatic Systems BL43 barrier with ANPR camera on an entry post would be the best option. The BL43 barriers are especially adapted for installation in difficult environments and there is an optional ‘aggressive saline treatment’ available for the paint work, which was preferable due to the harsh costal envrionment of the Far Arnside site. The road at Far Arnside is wide, so we needed a barrier that was suitable for larger lane closures and the BL43 is perfect for this as it has an aluminium reinforced arm and strong torque settings, meaning the boom can rise in a fast and smooth movement, even when it’s oversized.
SPECIFICATION:
With access still being required for the footpath, for safety purposes we also included a safety laser, which creates a ‘safety zone’ around the barrier whereby if a vehicle has gone through, and the barrier starts to come down, if a pedestrian, cyclist, or even another vehicle were to enter the zone, the barrier would stop & rise again to let the traffic through. The safety laser also negates the need for an induction loop, meaning there would be no need to to cut in to the existing tarmac. Another advantage to the safety laser is that it creates a virtual ‘free exit zone’ for exit through the system. This area is programmable to alter the size and means that the barrier will open automatically on exit, without the need for push button exit or fob presentation.
BL43 BENEFITS:
The ANPR system is linked to the main site at Silverdale and managed from the office there. Access is given only to recognised vehicles and is triggered by an induction loop which gives reliable and consistent reads. The system is remotely managed with no reception on site and has so far proven very effective.
netconnect September 21st, 2023
Posted In: Case Studies
Long-term customers the MacTaggarts run Rascarrel Farm in
Auchencairn, Dumfries.
While the farm itself may be traditional, the MacTaggarts have some forward-thinking ideas when it comes to introducing new technology. Following the purchase of 5 robot milking machines; a new, designated area had been set up to house the new system, incorporating additional offices and holding facilities. The whole system would need to be covered by CCTV and supported by a robust data and WiFi network to ensure sufficient and consistent coverage. Following a site survey and speaking with the clients to establish their requirements from the new installation.
We specified the following:
• 19 x 4K fixed HD Colourview cameras with audio
• 2 x fully movable PTZ cameras
• 1 x 64 channel 32TB recorder for future expansion and
to incorporate existing cameras
• Connected to 50” wall mounted monitor
• 60 ghz wireless link to house/network
• WiFi coverage/internet for milking parlour & robots
Aside from the obvious increase in productivity, the robot milking system also provides numerous health benefits for the cows. The positive association of being milked while getting fed leads to the cows deciding when to be milked, and reduces stress overall for the animal. The robots also perform health checks for the cows, allowing for the monitoring of teat health. All the data from each milking is then fed directly to a device via a tag on the cow and everything can be monitored from here – the temperature of the cow, the body condition and it’s movement. Monitoring and understanding the herd in this way is crucial to the development of efficient and self-sufficient farming.
Contact us today for a free, no obligation estimate.
netconnect March 15th, 2022
Posted In: Case Studies
