“You’re here today because you are all people who care.” That was how Michael Heap, the Managing Director of stone hard landscaping specialist CED, welcomed the architects, engineers, consultants, contractors and stone suppliers who went to see the new Geological Walk at the British Geological Survey headquarters in Nottingham on 21 June.

They were there for the commercial opening of the new feature that is part of a major redevelopment of the site. It was featured in the previous (June) issue of NSS.

The Geological Walk was made possible by the co-operation of 30 companies that extract British stone as paving and includes examples of more than 40 indigenous stones. It is hoped it will become a resource widely used by designers and contractors to select their paving materials, especially for prestigious projects where it matters most.

Michael Heap was instrumental in persuading the BGS that the feature should be entirely in natural stone (the plan originally included substantial amounts of concrete) and in persuading stone suppliers to support the project. None of the stone was free but neither was it full price.

He extolled those at the opening to spread the message about the Geological Path and to make sure it was used for the specification of paving. “I hope we will see a change in the way paving is designed in the country as a whole,” he said. “We don’t anticipate this will go bang tomorrow but it will grow over a long period of time.”

He pointed out that the path has been designed to make the most economical use of the stones in it and suggested that if designers wanted large slabs for paving they would be unwise to choose a stone that appears in the path as small slabs.

The BGS path uses optimum widths and thicknesses and random lengths, which reduces waste and, therefore, the price of the paving. Michael said designers would be wise to note these details. “You have to work with materials.”

The Geological Path has already been used for the selection of stone for at least one garden project.

It happened just before the commercial opening of the Walk last month. Michael Heap had been approached by someone involved in making television programmes with celebrity gardener Alan Titchmarsh. Michael suggested they visit the BGS, which they did. As a result, a buff sandstone from Johnsons Wellfield Quarries was chosen for the project. The BGS Walk might even appear as part of the TV programme.

Specifically excluding those he was addressing (because they were there), Michael said there was a laziness among designers that led them to use the same, familiar imported stone paving products all the time.

“Using the variety shown here would bring some life back to our town centres… and our private gardens and commercial buildings.”

Steve Parry, who is a building stone expert at the BGS and oversaw the Geological Walk project, working with CED to source the stones, praised CED for the enthusiasm it had shown for the project and the stone suppliers for the support they had given it.

His message to specifiers, designers and contractors was: “Please make use of this excellent resource.”

Michael Heap suggested that stone companies might also like to make more use of the excellent resource that is the British Geological Survey.

“I have only come to learn how much knowledge exists here in the past two years while I have been working on the Geological Walk. And if I didn’t realise, I’m sure a lot of others won’t.”

CED has a depot close to the British Geological Survey in Nottingham and is happy to arrange visits and accompany designers, specifiers and buyers who want to see the Geological Walk. Call 01773 769916.