Starting a patch from scratch

Wouldn't use weed membrane, after a time it starts to unravel and you get lots of thin bits of plastic turning up all over the garden, and the more we can garden without plastic the better, I would use the membrane under paths or paving, sealing the edges with a bit of light heat from a weed burner, I would suggest that you spread a good layer of wood chipover the area scatter some chicken pellets or manure through it then cover with several layers of cardboard and newspapers, the question is what do you have to cover that with, and if you have anything could it give you 5 or 6 inches of cover, if not I would purchase 2 builders bags of washed course sand, add any soil that you have and if required several bags of the cheapest compost I could find, mix it through the sand (basicly to hold moisture) as you spread the sand over the area, again scatter chicken pellets across the bed, might be a good idea if you could make a frame around the edges, till the bed settles, but not a must have thing, a bed of course sand could be used to hold pots for the first year, then after that it could be planted out as normal