- Location
- Newtown, Powys
- Main postcode district
- SY16
- Nearby (straight line)
- Welshpool (12 miles), Llandrindod Wells (19 miles) and Oswestry (26 miles)
- Survey and quote
- Free, with a fixed written quote
A PVC strip curtain is a row of flexible, overlapping plastic strips hung from a rail across a doorway, so that people and vehicles can pass through while the strips fall back to close the gap behind them. At loading bays they hang behind the main door or across internal openings, reducing draughts, dust and temperature loss for much less than the cost of a powered door.
What matters for PVC strip curtains in Newtown?
Where strips at a site in Newtown have turned cloudy and scratched, replacing them restores visibility for drivers and pedestrians sharing the opening. Wind-driven rain and leaves blowing into an open dock are a familiar nuisance, and a heavy-duty strip curtain is one simple response for sites in Newtown.
Goods-in areas in Newtown that leave the main door open during long unloading sessions can use a strip curtain to hold back draughts and dust.
A single contact at Loading Bay Doors handles your project in Newtown from start to finish. The free site survey and fixed written quote come first, with no obligation to proceed. We then book the installation for times that suit the operation, including out of hours by arrangement, and manage the specialist engineers on site. At the end we commission and test the equipment, walk your team through it and provide the documentation.
Which strip width, thickness and grade should I choose?
Choose the strip size by the size of the opening and the traffic through it, and the grade by temperature and use. Wider, thicker strips seal better and resist forklifts, but are heavier to push through on foot.
- Pedestrian doorways: typically 200 mm wide by 2 mm thick strips with a modest overlap.
- Forklift openings: typically 300 mm wide by 3 mm thick, with a larger overlap.
- Large dock openings: typically 400 mm wide by 4 mm thick, which hang well in draughts.
- Low-temperature grade: stays flexible in chillers and freezers, where standard PVC would stiffen and crack.
- Ribbed strips: raised ribs take the wear from forklifts and keep the strips clearer for longer.
- Specialist grades: anti-static, tinted or opaque, or welding grade for screening.
Overlap matters as much as thickness. A full overlap gives a better seal in cold or dusty areas, while a partial overlap is easier to walk through.
Do strip curtains count towards building energy rules?
A strip curtain does not replace the need for a compliant door: where a new or replacement external loading bay door is fitted, it is the door that has to meet the energy rules.
- England: Approved Document L (2021) Volume 2 sets a limiting U-value of 1.3 W/m²K for vehicle access and similar large doors in new and replacement work.
- Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland: each nation has its own energy rules, through Approved Document L for Wales, Section 6 of the Scottish Building Standards Technical Handbook, and Technical Booklet F2 in Northern Ireland. We confirm what applies to your nation and project.
What a strip curtain does well is reduce the air moving through an opening while the door is open for loading. That helps a heated or chilled building, even though the curtain is not the door.
Workplace safety still applies around the curtain: strips should stay clear enough for drivers and pedestrians to see each other. HSE is the regulator in Great Britain and HSENI in Northern Ireland.
The same published guide range applies across Wales; access, out-of-hours working and site conditions are confirmed at the free survey.
What we look at on site
- Traffic routes for vehicles and separation of pedestrians
- Gaps around trailers where heated or chilled air escapes
- How often each door cycles during a typical shift
- Power supply at each bay, including three-phase availability
- Headroom above the opening and which track type will suit it
- How drivers are prevented from pulling away too early
Options to discuss
Standard clear strips
Clear flexible PVC for ambient warehouses and goods-in areas, giving good visibility and draught control at pedestrian and forklift openings.
Sliding or swing-away rail
A rail that lets the whole curtain be moved clear of the opening for wide loads, cleaning or seasonal removal without taking the strips down.
Which rules apply in Wales?
HSE regulates workplace safety in Wales. Loading bays in Newtown need doors that meet regulation 18 of the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992, work equipment maintained under PUWER, and safeguards that stop vehicles leaving the dock too early. We check what applies at survey and build those measures into the design.
Questions about PVC strip curtains in Newtown
Which building and safety rules apply to a site in Newtown?
It depends on which UK nation the site is in. England and Wales use Building Regulations approval, Scotland uses building warrants and Northern Ireland uses building control approval from the council. Workplace safety is regulated by HSE in Great Britain and HSENI in Northern Ireland, and energy rules differ between nations. For your site in Newtown, we check what applies at survey and design to it.
Is VAT included in your guide prices for PVC strip curtains?
No. Our customers are businesses, so guide prices exclude VAT, which is added at the standard rate. The same guide range applies in Powys as everywhere else: for PVC strip curtains, it is £180 to £1,100 per opening, excluding VAT. It covers supply and fit for a typical installation. Your fixed written quote after the free survey shows the net price, the VAT and exactly what is included.
Can you work alongside our main contractor on a new build in Newtown?
Yes. For new warehouses and fit-outs, we can supply and install the dock package as part of a wider project, working to the main contractor's programme, site rules and permits. We will need drawings, dock levels and the programme, and we coordinate pit details, power supplies and door openings with the relevant trades before installation begins.
Which grade should we use in a freezer?
Use a low-temperature or polar grade in a freezer. Standard PVC stiffens in the cold, so it cracks and stops falling back into place, leaving gaps. Low-temperature grades are formulated to stay flexible in chilled and frozen conditions, so they keep sealing after each vehicle passes.
Are strip curtains a good alternative to a high-speed door?
Strip curtains are a good low-cost option for moderate traffic, but at very busy openings a high-speed door often performs better because it clears fully for each vehicle and closes behind it. The right choice depends on traffic volume, visibility needs and budget.
PVC strip curtains near Newtown
Businesses outside Newtown may find their nearest town in this list: Welshpool (12 miles), Llandrindod Wells (19 miles) and Oswestry (26 miles). Each page covers doors, docks, repairs and servicing.
Other loading bay services in Newtown
Full guide to PVC strip curtains · Everything we do in Newtown
Request a quote for your loading bay in Newtown, attaching photos of the dock, the equipment and any damage.