Wohr parking solution for Bedford apartments

Exclusive development of apartments in Bedford feature mechanical parking system supplied and installed by Wohr.

The Castle Gate apartment building was previously a department store, but has been transformed by developer Marstone Homes, to provide 24 individually-designed, luxury apartments.

Sitting in a conservation area and close to Bedford Castle, the facade of the original building has been retained, but the interior has been completely renovated, providing high quality, luxury accommodation and a range of facilities, including a private residents' fitness suite.

However, in common with many town and city centre regeneration projects, the space for parking was extremely limited, with only an area sufficient for 12 vehicles available.

The developer felt this was insufficient to meet the needs of its customers and approached Wohr, the UK's specialist in the design and installation of mechanical parking systems, to identify potential solutions.

Taking into account the slightly unusual footprint of the building and the designated car parking area, Wohr proposed a solution along with Chris Georgiou Architects, incorporating versions of its Parklift 440 system.

This system uses vertical stacking technology to provide independent parking for car owners, who simply access the Parklift units to park or retrieve their vehicle by means of an individual car park key.

For the Castle Gate apartments, a combination of double level Parklift systems has been specified, incorporating both double-width and single-width formats; with four double-width units (each capable of holding four vehicles) and eight single-width units (each capable of holding two vehicles) Half of the units are located in a courtyard outside the apartment building, the other half are housed on ground level, within the building.

To accommodate the trend for larger and heavier SUVs, the external units have been specified with 2.6 tonne capacity, allowing vehicles such as the new Range Rover and Porsche Cayenne to be parked.

Commenting on Wohr's parking system, Steve Norman a director of Marstone Homes said: "Castle Gate is a prestigious town centre development situated right at the cultural heart of Bedford and our design-led approach calls for high standards in all aspects of our building".

"The parking solution not only matches our overall approach, but also provides a safe and secure parking environment for residents".

"The apartments are now totally sold and the parking solution proved to be a key part of the total sales package.".

Back to top