Post-design consultancy (Tree management during construction and the discharge of planning conditions)


Revision of working detail to improve site operation:

It is always worth considering adjusting consented details to make sites easier to operate on a day-to-day basis. Once consent is given, we can review the protective measures with the project manager and advise on the potential to improve efficiency, i.e. by providing more working space. We will then document those modifications and begin discussions/negotiations with the council to agree revisions before finalising the working detail. In the majority of cases, this can deliver significant operational benefits through increased efficiency.

Plans are a universally understood medium on construction sites and including specifications for tree sensitive operations on the actual plan has proved to be a very effective way of communicating the requirements to the site operatives. In this case, specifications for ground protection, fencing and piling on the plan provide the site manager with a complete visual reference for all the tree protection issues.

Preparation of working drawings to help budgeting and on-site tree management:

Working drawings are not normally a formal planning requirement, but they are often worth considering because of the efficiency benefits that flow from them. For example, a specific working drawing showing all tree removal, ground protection and fencing details, including specifications, allows budgeting, tendering, installation and monitoring from one drawing, which is very efficient. Working drawings are most useful for complicated sites where there are multiple tree protection issues to be managed over the duration of the construction.

Formal arboricultural method statement to discharge a planning condition:

Quite often, councils issue consents without seeing any detailed tree protection proposals. Instead, they secure the provision of these details through a planning condition requiring an arboricultural method statement. We produce this formal report by visiting the site, assessing the trees, identifying the trees to be lost and setting out the tree protection details for those to be retained. Its focus is on illustrative specifications for all the protective measures, which cross-reference to a location plan. Our arboricultural method statement plan separates out the trees to be removed from those to be retained, making it very useful for the tree felling contractor. Additionally, all the agreed protective measures are also shown, which makes it useful for budgeting as well as project managing the location and the installation of each item.

Site inspections to confirm protective measures are correctly installed, followed by a written confirmation, formally records compliance with planning conditions, and has the added bonus of offering a robust defence mechanism against post-development litigation arising from tree failures

Site supervision to discharge a planning condition:

Where a planning condition requires arboricultural supervision, it can only be effectively discharged through a written certification of compliance. We can confirm that compliance by visiting and issuing formal certificates in a manner that is convenient to the site operation, whilst still satisfying the council monitoring requirements.

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