Commercial High Bay Lighting Installation at Chacewater Garden Centre

Operating a busy retail environment like Chacewater Garden Centre requires an infrastructure that is both functional and safe for customers and staff. When the centre needed to improve the lighting in its extensive outdoor covered spaces, they contacted us to design and carry out the installation. The project brief was clear – to provide bright, consistent lighting across two large canopies used for displaying plants and other goods, but it also came with the crucial requirement that all work must be completed without affecting the garden centre’s trading hours.

Our main task was the installation of six 150-watt IP65-rated high bay lights. Five of these were designated for the larger canopy, with one for a smaller adjacent area. IP65 rated fittings are specifically designed to be dust-tight and protected against water jets, making them an ideal and durable choice for a semi-exposed environment like a garden centre canopy, which can be subject to dust, pollen, and moisture. We planned the layout to space the fittings evenly, mounting them as high as possible within the structure’s framework to achieve the widest and most uniform spread of light. This approach eliminates dark spots and ensures that all the products below are clearly visible to customers.

To power the new lights, we installed a new circuit originating from an existing consumer unit in a nearby gardening section of the store. All cabling was carefully routed along the existing metal roof structure, keeping it neat and secure. We then installed a new switch at a convenient location near the canopy entrance, giving staff easy control over the new lighting system.

Alongside the lighting installation, the centre was planning roof replacement works in another part of the store. To facilitate this, we were asked to reroute two high-level armoured cables that were obstructing the area. They were originally running above a large steel beam, so our job was to disconnect them and re-route them through the beam itself. Once repositioned, the cables were re-terminated using the correct armoured cable glands. For safety and compliance, the cabling was securely fixed to the steel beams with fire-rated steel beam suspension clips.

A final part of the project involved some fault-finding on the exterior lighting. The photocell sensors controlling the car park bollard lights weren’t functioning correctly. We replaced the two existing units with more sensitive photocells, restoring the automatic dusk-to-dawn operation of the car park lighting and improving safety for evening visitors.

To manage the work at height and to adhere to the out-of-hours schedule, we hired a 7m electric scissor lift for the week. This allowed our team to work safely and efficiently during the evenings, meaning that when the garden centre opened its doors each morning, there was no sign of our presence – apart from the progress made. The project successfully delivered a greatly improved lighting environment for the centre’s outdoor retail space and resolved other key electrical tasks, all while ensuring zero disruption to their business.