As part of our commitment to green space management our team are headed by horticulturalists not property managers. We can apply our knowledge to handovers with our team understanding landscaping plans and the complexity of sustainable drainage.
Our centralised mobilisation team ensure that every development over 100 houses is visited by the green space team in the quarter before handover to with the objective of checking:
- Readiness of handover
- Work is compliant with the plans we have been provided with
- Work has been completed to a good standard
- Health check on trees and shrubs
- Health and Safety risks
Our pre handover reports give our clients the opportunity to go back to their contractors to resolve any issues at the right time, and can save them money by preventing site teams signing off works that do not meet the expected standards. We find that there is a definitive trend in issues we find during these visits.
PLANTING – (Wrong species)
Your LA will have approved the planting specifications as part of the planning submissions so strictly speaking there should be no deviation from the same. There are of course instances when this unavoidable and we w accept the development in such cases (such as Processionary Moth controls affecting the availability of Oaks). However, with BNG in place the specified planting could be part of the metric for offering greater ecological benefit, with incorrect planting having the potential to deplete the projected ecological gains.
PLANTING – (Wrong sizing)
With trees and shrubs the size of the stock to be used is always stated on the approved drawings. With trees this is usually measured by tree girth at shoulder height and with shrubs by pot size and/or height of material. The sizes are chosen to give the site planting impact, and any use of undersized material lessens that impact and can lead to an underwhelming landscape.
Smaller trees and shrubs are cheaper than larger ones that’s common sense. We are mindful that developers and site staff may not know how to measure trees and then sign off works as sufficient. We want to ensure that any use of smaller than specified stock has been done either at the request of the housebuilder or at least with your knowledge.
PLANTING – (Incorrect Specification)
This is predominantly an issue with trees and whips. Landscape architects will not only specify species and size but also how trees are to be planted and what “support services” they will require to give them the best start on a new site.
The landscape plan will show the species and the locations but detail such as the need for watering points, strimmer guards and staking detail is often within the LEMP or an addendum plan – it is important that the documents are reviewed together with your landscape contractor ahead of installation
We often find that the trees do not have the necessary infrastructure the landscape architects deemed necessary for survival and future vigour.
With whip planting we regularly see whips and hedges which are supposed to have the support of canes and the protection of spiral rabbit guards, but both are missing resulting in plants growing at all angles except vertical.
Left – no weed control, no support canes and no rabbit spiral guards – 50-60% losses as a result. Right – weed control, whips supported with canes and guards fitted – almost 100% survival
PLANTING – (Poor Standards)
Similar to the above point, as if everything was done in adherence to the specification then everything should be to a good standard.
Within this category we find;
- Trees and whips not planted to the correct depth with roots seen sticking out above ground level.
- Spacers not fitted between trees and support stakes.
- Ties not fixed to posts so that although they are in the right location near the top of the stake initially then they gradually slip down the tree over time meaning the tree no longer has the support it needs and the stake starts to rub away the tree bark causing lasting damage.
Roots showing above the ground
No spacers between tree and stake, the hard wooden stake then rubs bark off tree.
Tie not fixed to post so has slipped down, tree is not as supported as it should be and post could start to run bark off tree.
SEEDING – (Incorrect species mix on grasslands)
We often see sites where all the grass areas have been sown with the same mix or at best just two different mixes. Typically plans may have up to 5 different mixes on them such as;
- Amenity grass
- Wildflower grass
- Wildflower grass for wet areas (normally within SuDS basins and swales)
- Wildflower mix for shady areas or near hedge bases
- Tussocky grass
But on site what is put down is often just amenity grass or at best one mix for amenity areas and another for everything else. This will of course have a huge affect on BNG moving forward as well as potential issues with the planning authorities and dissatisfaction from the residents. We can ensure the education piece is in place post-handover to promote the ecological benefits of the chosen grasslands.
Area B is supposed to be wildflower but amenity grass used instead. Feature A is redundant pipework which should have been removed
ECOLOGICAL FEATURES – (Features omitted)
We often see hibernacula and bat/bird boxes missing. If these are omitted during build it is incredibly difficult to gain retrospective permission from homeowners. Bird boxes do not add BNG value but with the HOMES FOR NATURE and FUTURE HOMES HUB commitment to see bird nesting bricks installed in every new home we promote their inclusion.
ECOLOGICAL FEATURES – (Features poorly installed)
We often see hibernacula and bat/bird boxes missing. If these are omitted during the build it is incredibly difficult to gain retrospective permission from homeowners to fit them. Bird boxes do not add BNG value but with the HOMES FOR NATURE and FUTURE HOMES HUB commitment to see bird nesting bricks installed in every new home we promote their inclusion.
ECOLOGICAL FEATURES – (Features not monitored or maintained)
Items such as Hibernicular will deteriorate over time and need regular topping up with fresh material, often “site won” branches and twigs. The need to monitor and top up hibernacula is often covered in the LEMP but we frequently find at the point of handover this has not been given attention.
Similarly with monitoring bird/bat boxes and other features such as dormouse boxes. There is often clause within the LEMP that these should be monitored from when first installed. It is rare that the monitoring is undertaken during the build process.
MAINTENANCE ISSUES – (Poor Maintenance)
The main issue here is tree and whip planting which is damaged during mowing and strimming operations. Poor ongoing maintenance will slowly damage and kill the trees if a lack of care is shown when cutting other vegetation. We often find that housebuilders are then having to pay out for replacement trees during the handover.
We can of course identify dead trees at handover; bigger issues often lay with trees which are compromised by drought or strimmer damage and may suffer long term decline with replacement costs impacting the service charge.
A standard tree may cost several hundred pounds so it makes financial sense to ensure that post-establishment maintenance is carried out correctly to a high standard.
Mower damage to trees.
An example of where subsequent works have damaged a tree (originally planted at the right depth) and raised soil levels which will eventually result in tree death.
MAINTENANCE ISSUES – (Delayed maintenance)
Maintenance should start as soon as features are created with a great example being wildflower areas.
Taking guidance from the LEMP the first-year regime for maintenance is often more critical and involved than subsequent years maintenance. The LEMP acknowledges that unwanted invasive species such as docks and thistles will germinate on bare earth alongside the wildflower mixes used. To counteract this they will recommend a mowing regime to control them, spot treatments and monitoring. We are asked to take developments into management where the wildflower grass has not been cut for 2-3 years. By this time the invasive species have thrived and the more delicate and desirable species have been overwhelmed with thick year on year grass and weed growth.
An area which was probably once seeded correctly but has been left unmown for years resulting in grass, thistle and docks smothering any of the intended wildflower species.
MAINTENANCE ISSUES – (Overlooked Maintenance)
Maintenance can often focus on newly created features. It is also important to look after the existing features.
- Existing hedges – hedges need regular trimming otherwise they grow and evolve into their natural tree form leaving them bare at the base, overly tall, too tall to trim with machinery and of less ecological value.
- Mowing to retained grassland which can quickly develop into scrub if left unchecked
- Retained mature tree maintenance and surveys – there is a requirement for insurance purposes to monitor tree health and safety regularly – we recommend at least every three years. While not law it is best practice and if accidents were to occur then investigators would expect to see a recent tree condition report. We will always ask for an up to date tree survey upon handover. Many LEMPS and HMMPs also specify the frequency of tree inspections.
Retained hedges now 6 meters tall or more.
SOIL ISSUES – (Over fertile soils for wildflower areas)
Wildflower does not do well on fertile soils as it will be outcompeted by the grass species present which will grow faster and taller and therefore overshadow and eventually kill the wildflower. While in the past this has been less of an issue, soil quality will be essential for BNG delivery.
SuDS – (Lack of Monitoring)
SuDS features need to be regularly monitored from first construction to see how they are operating. The CIRIA SuDS Manual states “During the first year of operation of all types of SuDS, inspections should usually be carried out at least monthly (and after significant storm events) to ensure that the system is functioning as designed and that no damage is evident.”. This front loading of more intense inspection regime is because any issues are likely to be quickly spottable and therefore corrective actions can be prescribed and undertaken in a timely manner.
We find that the lack of maintenance during the build process is one of our more common finds during handover. It is common to find systems with long term issues such as silt ingress or where foul water has been entering the surface water network for a prolonged period of time. Regular early inspections will identify and rectify the issues before large scale silt or foul waste removal became necessary.
We are able to offer training to your site teams on SuDS requirements and the necessity for maintenance in the early years.
A basic level of oversight should spot if foul water is entering a basin.
SuDS ISSUES – (Lack of protection to the asset)
Too often the SuDS are constructed quite correctly but then further construction activities on site proceed to slowly fill the basin with material which reduces its capacity and effectiveness.
Gulley bags are available to prevent soil and dirt from road surfaces going down the gulleys and then on towards the basin. These gulley bags protect the basin and help maintain its designed volume but where not used we have seen basins with over 20 cubic metres of silt ingress which is a large reduction in stormwater storage capacity and likely means that the SuDS system does not offer the 1 in 100 year flood protection that it should.
In the above images a build-up of silt entering via headwall from road surfaces has built up to a depth of 50cm reducing the basin capacity by around 16,000 litres.
SuDS ISSUES – LACK OF MAINTENANCE
This breaks down into two categories – Lack of engineering maintenance and Lack of vegetation maintenance.
Engineering maintenance includes cleaning out the features designed to protect the storage basin or tank such as the road gulleys and any silt traps (or catch pits), we often find these full to invert levels meaning all silt which enters gulleys travels straight to the basin or tank. Engineering maintenance also includes cleaning off screens and aprons of headwalls and checking and cleaning hydrobrake chambers which all influence how effectively the basin drains down and could easily cause basins to overflow on site.
SUMMARY
Site agents who have the responsibility to oversee, monitor and sign off works on site have so many different skill sets and trades to juggle including health and safety, traffic management, scaffold, plumbing, bricklaying, joiners, groundworkers and electricians. These all recognisably come under the construction banner but landscaping and SuDs maintenance are different disciplines altogether .
Information is presented in a different way and terminology can be impenetrable to the untrained or inexperienced.
On some of the larger sites landscape and ecology packages can be worth in excess of £500,000. Such high value items such as these should be checked and signed off by somebody with specialist horticultural or ecological knowledge. We are of course generalising, and not all housebuilders work to the same model. Green space management can only be implemented looking at a combination of documents such as the LEMP, landscape plan & specification and the SuDS plans.
We have every sympathy for a housebuilder striving to get a development right but missing relevant information hidden away in supplementary documentation. For example, we had a site with swales which was built exactly to the requirements of the engineering plan but when we reviewed the LEMP it stated that a section of the swale needed to be culverted to give access to maintenance the area beyond the swale; but there was no mention of a culvert in the engineering plan. The landscape plan just showed seeding as it was only concerned with the surface finishes and the culvert was to be seeded over. The result – swale built with no culvert and therefore no access to maintain the land beyond with machinery -we now have to negotiate with the housebuilder to reattend to place a culvert.
As we move into the next phase of BNG estate management with this huge legislative change upon us it is imperative that we all work together to deliver on the same objective.
SOLUTIONS
Each site does not need its own landscape specialist, but it does need the oversight of one. It could be that you have in house people checking these items for you – or you may need assistance.
As an agent with over 100,000 units and a dedicated green space team we offer our expertise to navigate green spaces, handovers and BNG.
We are firmly of the opinion that if works are properly overseen in the first instance you can make significant savings on replacement planting, retrospectively dealing with non-compliance issues, and resident complaint time. Your value rises in reputational gain, customer satisfaction and corporate confidence that works are proceeding well with environmental benefit. Landscape creation can move from the threat quadrant to the strength quadrant in a SWOT analysis of the business.
Ready to take the next step in your green space journey?
Get in touch with Helen Roberts at helen.roberts@fexcopropertyservices.co.uk to learn how Fexco Property Services can support your sustainability goals.
