Public Realm Protection

Integrated HVM for city centres, regeneration schemes and placemaking

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Smart Safety Solutions for the Public Realm

Public spaces are at the heart of every community from city squares and pedestrianised streets to cultural districts, shopping areas and regenerated spaces. These environments attract high footfall, serve multiple user groups and support a wide range of activities, from everyday movement to major events. Protecting the public realm requires permanent or semi-permanent HVM solutions that reduce vehicle-related risk while preserving usability, accessibility and design intent.

Crowdguard partners with local authorities, architects, contractors and regeneration teams to deliver impact-tested, design-led HVM that enhances safety without undermining urban aesthetics. Our approach ensures security is integrated intelligently into the built environment, supporting long-term city planning, public safety and community vibrancy.

We take pride in providing end-to-end project management for public realm schemes from early threat and vulnerability assessments through to installation, sign-off and ongoing maintenance.

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Our Impact at a Glance
200+
Major Events Protected
2 million+
Attendees Protected
3,500+
Equipment Safety Measures Installed
150+
Venues Secured Across the Country

Why Public Realm Schemes Require a Risk-Led Approach

Public spaces face a range of risks, shaped by:

Aesthetic and Heritage Considerations

Urban environments must remain attractive, functional and inclusive, with HVM blending into the landscape.

Unrestricted Road Access Points

Many public spaces remain accessible to vehicles for servicing, deliveries, or blue-light access, requiring flexible HVM planning.

Mixed-Use Environments

Retail, transport, leisure, workplaces and residential zones intersect, creating varied operational demands.

Event Overlay and Seasonal Activities

Public realm spaces often double as event venues, requiring adaptable solutions that support temporary closures and crowd management.

High Footfall and Predictable Movement Patterns

City centres and regenerated spaces attract daily pedestrian and cycling traffic, magnifying the potential consequences of accidental or deliberate vehicle entry.

Crowdguard’s methodology ensures all these factors are considered proportionately, avoiding excessive or intrusive specification.

PLAN

Working collaboratively from the outset

We begin with a detailed threat, vulnerability and risk assessment (TVRA) and, where appropriate, a vehicle dynamics assessment (VDA). This early involvement ensures:

  • the right products are selected
  • the scheme aligns with national guidance
  • operational and accessibility needs are fully understood
  • aesthetics and placemaking priorities are respected

We work closely with designers, local authorities, principal contractors and security consultants to integrate HVM smoothly into scheme development.

PROVIDE

Practical, design-led solutions for long-term protection

Public realm projects often require a blend of:

  • semi-permanent HVM (shallow-mount bollards, removable posts)
  • street furniture with integrated HVM
  • temporary HVM for event overlays
  • perimeter fencing and controlled access points

We offer product-agnostic guidance, ensuring specifications remain proportionate, achievable and operationally sound.

PROTECT

Certified installation and ongoing support

We ensure that public realm protection continues to operate safely and effectively. We provide full installation, maintenance, service visits, and post-installation reporting, giving asset owners confidence that systems remain compliant and operational. This includes:

  • Installation of certified HVM systems “as tested”
  • Routine servicing and maintenance
  • Post-installation reporting and lifecycle support

These measures help ensure that protection in the public realm remains reliable, while keeping these spaces open, accessible, and welcoming.

 

Crowdguard in Action: Public Realm Success Stories

Bradford – Centenary Square (City of Culture 2025)

Crowdguard worked with Bradford Council, Sweco and Balfour Beatty to deliver a bespoke integrated HVM scheme for the city centre regeneration project. Using Unafor’s removable and fixed shroud systems, we provided certified protection with minimal visual impact, allowing public life and cultural programming to flourish.

Birmingham City Centre (Public Realm & Events)

Crowdguard supported Birmingham’s city centre with proportionate, risk-led HVM that balanced everyday pedestrian flow with major event overlay needs. Our involvement ensured operational practicality and strong stakeholder alignment.  Working with various manufacturers we led an end to end service delivery from assesement, specification to installation.

These projects highlight our ability to integrate HVM into complex, sensitive public realm environments always with community usability and long-term sustainability in mind.

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Recommended HVM Solutions for Public Realm Projects

Crowdguard is completely independent and product-agnostic, meaning we specify the most appropriate solution for your public realm environment not a limited in-house catalogue. We work with all leading HVM manufacturers across the UK and Europe, including (but not limited to):

ATG Access

See more about the ATG Access Surface Guard here, an award-winning hostile vehicle mitigation barrier system offering robust protection for people and public spaces without compromising accessibility or aesthetics.

The key advantage of the Unafor Core is that its tested design allows for personalised aesthetics without the need for costly re testing or purchasing multiple products. Find out more here.

See our work using Heald HVM products here.

See more on SafetyFlex barriers here.

See our work using Marshalls HVM products here.

See more on Frontier Pitts here.

See more on Macs Bollards here.

This gives local authorities, regeneration teams and designers true flexibility, ensuring every scheme benefits from the right blend of:

  • Permanent HVM
  • Semi-permanent shallow-mount systems
  • Integrated street furniture and design-led solutions
  • Removable systems for flexible spaces
  • Controlled vehicle access solutions
  • Perimeter protection, gates and bollards

Our role is to simplify a complex marketplace and help you understand what is proportionate, achievable and aligned with national guidance without overspecification or unnecessary cost.

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Temporary HVM During Planning, Development and Event Periods

Where a public realm scheme is awaiting planning approval, being maintained, or undergoing phased construction, we can deploy temporary, surface-mounted HVM to maintain protection during the transitional period.

This includes:

  • securing pedestrianised areas while permanent works progress
  • providing protection for seasonal or event overlays
  • supporting phased regeneration projects with short-term measures

Temporary HVM ensures safety and continuity while long-term infrastructure is being designed, approved or installed.

Every recommendation we make temporary or permanent is based squarely on proportionate risk mitigation, operational practicality and alignment with the overall vision for the space.

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Permanent and Semi-Permanent HVM for the Public Realm

We support the delivery of long-term, design-led schemes using systems that can include:

  • shallow-mount bollards
  • removable posts
  • certified street furniture (planters, benches, cycle stands)
  • vehicle access points
  • controlled perimeters for pedestrian-first environments

These solutions are selected based on risk, operational needs, aesthetics, accessibility and long-term maintainability.

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Why Crowdguard?

  • Experience delivering complex public realm schemes
  • Collaborative approach with architects, engineers and local authorities
  • Design-sensitive guidance that respects placemaking and heritage
  • Proportionate, risk-led solutions aligned with NPSA guidance
  • Accredited installation and nationwide coverage
  • A blend of permanent, semi-permanent and temporary solutions
  • Trusted partnerships with councils, regeneration teams and contractors

Talk to Our Public Realm Specialists

If you’re planning a public realm improvement, regeneration scheme or long-term city centre transformation, we can help you design proportionate, integrated HVM solutions that protect people while supporting vibrant, accessible public spaces.

Speak to Crowdguard today for practical, design-led public realm protection advice.

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Public Realm Protection Case Studies

  • Blogs, Permanent HVM

How to Protect a Public Space when Permanent HVM Measures are Being Maintained
  • Blogs, Case Study, Permanent HVM

Case Study: Creating a More Efficient People-First Solution for Birmingham City Council with Permanent HVM for Public Spaces