Helicopter Parking and Garden Features

The helicopter landing pad. Edged in granite cobbles and surrounded by lawn.

Designing a garden can be great fun, even designing your own ideal garden can give endless possibilities. Over the years the gardens we have created have included playgrounds, koi pools, tennis courts, greenhouses of all sizes, bridges, streams, a tree house and a dog enclosure and all manner of features big and small – if you really want something in your garden then there really are no bounds apart from the issue of space – will it fit? Generally everything does and with a bit of careful planning desired items can be successfully incorporated.

One of my favourite features, purely because I may never incorporate one ever again in a garden setting, was a helicopter landing pad. Planning of course restricted the location to the highest point of the site, away from trees and any obstacles whilst giving good visibility for the pilot. In order to create a level site retaining walls were created and stone faced, this also means that from a lower sight-line in the garden the walls are seen and blend in with the rest of the garden and countryside, yet the landing pad itself is out of sight. If you want a certain feature in your garden, whether it is big, small, quirky, or slightly out of the ordinary then try to incorporate it as there’s always the chance it will work and look great.

Creating the upper site for the landing pad. Away from trees and obstacles.

The landing pad is tarmac with a compacted base layer. It lets the water through and drains away quickly.