Permanent Modular Café at Northam Burrow’s Country Park

The area of Northam Burrows is both a registered Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) and a Site of Specific Scientific Interest (SSSI) – an objectively picturesque Country Park comprised of coastal plains, sand dunes and untouched grasslands.

But the one aspect that was missing from the ensemble was a Food & Beverage offering – as highlighted by Adrian Redwood, Major Projects and Estates Manager for Torridge District Council: “the feedback from public consultation identified a café as a missing element.”

That’s where PKL entered, specialists in aesthetic and ergonomic Modular Food Service Facility design and implementation, working with Torridge District Councils design consultants from inception to provide a solution that satisfied both the financial and time constraints of the project, and The Coastal Communities Fund who provided the funding for the project and dictated the timeline for the build.

PKL were appointed to the project design team in July 2020 and working to a fixed budget and a fixed 9-month delivery period, proceeded to expertly design, construct and install the 16mx9m modular restaurant solution and in doing so, showcased PKL’s competency in providing a flexible, yet all-encompassing package of works.

The unit itself was a product of bespoke construction, with high performance energy efficient glazing, Coastal Environmental steel protection, and complete with a class 0 fire rated timber cladding exterior – both aesthetically inkeeping with the picturesque environment and pragmatically designed for the surrounding ecosystem.

The feedback and experience have been “nothing but positive” according to Adrian, with the ultimate goal of “enhancing the visitor experience” whilst simultaneously “blending into the local environment.”

As Northam Burrows is both an SSSI and AONB – this has proven to be gold-standard work by the entire PKL team as the public reviews of the brand-new Modular café and dining offering are exclusively through the prism of success. With the park receiving footfall of “hundreds of thousands a year” – as estimated by Adrian – the positive reaction to the finished project is all the more rewarding for the area of Northam Burrows, and for the team at PKL.

Client: Torridge District Council
Requirement: Provide a food and beverage offering on site
Supplied: 16mx9m modular café and dining solution finished in timber cladding