Terrifying Arboricultural Method Statement...

[Mulberry View]

Our plot is quite complex and our scheme retains quite a few trees. We're just trying to get to grips with our Tree Protection Plan, it makes me regret working to hard to save trees to be honest, but it's part of what we love about the plot.

 

 

 

 

By my calculations, we need upwards of 70 Heras panels, that's life I guess.

 

The current conundrum is the access driveway, which is shown to require 'no-dig surfacing'. Anyone had similar requirements? What I don't understand is whether we need to be installing our long term driveway sub-structure now or if it's a temporary measure that's needed while we build. It seems to read as though we have to put a permanent geocell structure in place now and a 'sacrificial layer of stone' laid over another geotextile membrane while construction is taking place, to be scraped off at the end.

 

Furthermore, the TPP states that no excavation can take place within the purple hatched area, so it looks like we are going to have to get creative regarding bringing the water main in. The only 2 options I can see are moling, or going across the garden for the existing bungalow, which I'm not that keen on.

 

Talk about throwing us straight in at the deep end!!

[Russell griffiths]

second hand heras fence at £10 per panel £700 sell at the end for £600 to allow for a couple of scrap ones. 

Mole the water pipe it’s hardly any difference in cost to digging a trench. 

 

 

[Mulberry View]

5 minutes ago, Russell griffiths said:

second hand heras fence at £10 per panel £700 sell at the end for £600 to allow for a couple of scrap ones. 

Mole the water pipe it’s hardly any difference in cost to digging a trench. 

 

 

 

I wish I could find Heras for £10 a panel!! Going rate seems to be more like £20 per panel with a foot/clip, which I'm at peace with but even then, it looks like I'll be galivanting all over the country to obtain the quantity of panels needed.

 

As for the moling, I assumed that would be crazy cost?

Edited July 16, 2021 by Mulberry View

[markc]

Long distance directional moling isnt cheap, but a simple straight short run pit-to-pit job is straight forward and requires little plant and equipment.

Tree protection can be fence post and rail type fence or even post and barrier tape unless there is likely to be a lot of vehicular traffic to warrant mechanical protection.

[joe90]

My planners wanted professional arb. Statement. I rang the councils Arb. Guy and said I proposed sheep fencing and he agreed it would suffice, when I submitted my own proposal using sheep fencing I included “their” arb. Guys Email. No argument (and saved me a fee ?).

[Russell griffiths]

32 minutes ago, Mulberry View said:

 

I wish I could find Heras for £10 a panel!! Going rate seems to be more like £20 per panel with a foot/clip, which I'm at peace with but even then, it looks like I'll be galivanting all over the country to obtain the quantity of panels needed.

 

As for the moling, I assumed that would be crazy cost?

Facebook for the panels. 

Just last year I had a new main moled in, 75m two lads did it in a day, no mess , digging the trench wouldn’t have been any quicker. 

[Russell griffiths]

8 minutes ago, joe90 said:

My planners wanted professional arb. Statement. I rang the councils Arb. Guy and said I proposed sheep fencing and he agreed it would suffice, when I submitted my own proposal using sheep fencing I included “their” arb. Guys Email. No argument (and saved me a fee ?).

I was going to say that you can argue the fact that it is a single dwelling with low vehicle movement and state a smaller fence will do. 

However I thought the cost of buying posts and wire would outweigh the cost of buying and then reselling the heras panels. 

[Tom's Barn]

we had a very similar situation so we took the following approach:

 

1. clear 150m driveway of vegetation as agreed with Arborist. Install the tree route protection zones. Link the zones with type 1 and driveway is ready and compliant for the build and future use of the property, bar the finishing layer

2. We connected the water pipe using a company called Pipeline logistics. They did 100m across our garden away from the driveway in two days. Had the ground been clay they would have completed the work in one day but it was stone so we had to have to pits along the route to change direction. All good. No mess and no damage to the ground. They relaid everything perfectly

3. We purchase the heras fencing from someone finishing another job. It does not matter really what you pay because you will sell when you have finished. The difference in price will be nothing like what you would have paid if you had hired. With the Covid delays the heras would have cost me a small fortune if I had hired because of delays etc.

 

Any further questions let me know

[saveasteading]

Lots of good advice above.

Never hire Heras except for an event. The cost equates to buying in about 4 months, then they charge for collection and damage.

Buying, will not be 'heras' but a cheaper manufacturer. The quality varies, esp at welds, but that doesn't matter in your own property.

then, as you have found, there is demand for second-hand.

 

Moling is a few hundred pounds when you can accept a wobbly line, as you can. The technologies vary: some send a probe down, along and up. Others need a pit at each end and thrust a pipe through, like a bore hole. So shop around. Once there, maybe worth moling all the way.

 

If you will be on site and in control, then perhaps they will accept a simpler fence.

In a way heras is not the best for the tree, as a builder can easily move it 'out of the way', then dig up roots and compress the ground, then put it back again.

The standard method used to be chestnut pale and that might be acceptable.

 

Well done for respecting the trees, and I'm sure they will repay you.

 

fyi, I understand from various arboriculturalists that the micro-roots at the surface are more important than the big ones; that a single trench can cause huge damage, perhaps 1/3, which is enough to kill a tree, and compression of the earth is as bad as cutting the surface roots.

The arbori etc that work in the private sector are more likely to accept the removal of a tree than the LA officers. 'it is just a tree....cut it down but plant some more'.

[nod]

We had our tree survey back for our next two plots

With all the usual diagrams showing how to put the herras protection up held in place with scaffolding 

We found that the protection recommended wasn’t practical and took most down and replaced it with mtre high plastic on a roll fencing 

All the trees survived 

Edited July 16, 2021 by nod

[ToughButterCup]

2 hours ago, Mulberry View said:

...our Tree Protection Plan, it makes me regret working to hard to save trees to be honest, but it's part of what we love about the plot. ...

 

A near neighbour regularly (6 times a year or more) goes to work early on Sunday mornings. Has asked me to come on a few occasions ... the job?

 

Fell all the trees in area X : leave them where they lie. Off site by lunch time at the latest. Proper tree surgeon in to chop them up, stump machine in when they have finished. Full PP within a year or so, sometimes a little more.

Thats East Lancashire for you. Never happens in West Lancs. Ever.

Edited July 16, 2021 by ToughButterCup

[Haylingbilly]

on the plan the purple hatched area relates to a no dig drive - can you find a route for the water that will not disturb any routes that their tree office will accept? looks like there are some route options that you could explore and if you do need to touch a root protection zone make sure it is a c category tree...

[Temp]

If you put any hardcore down go for mot type 3 rather than type 1. Type 3 is water permeable. My builder used type 1 and tree officer not happy.

[Temp]

7 hours ago, Mulberry View said:

The current conundrum is the access driveway, which is shown to require 'no-dig surfacing'. Anyone had similar requirements? What I don't understand is whether we need to be installing our long term driveway sub-structure now or if it's a temporary measure that's needed while we build.

 

I was in a rush earlier..

 

We have clay soil and our builder put down a temporary "road" where the driveway was going and up the side of the house. Unfortunately he used MOT 1 (in our case dusty limestone) which set up like concrete. Worked great as hardcore and the base for tarmac or gravel but its not considered water permeable enough for use near trees. Hence type 3 recommended.  I would consider putting some down in your turn around area to provide a temporary surface for unloading, parking etc

 

Where you have no dig driveway there are systems for reinforcing grass/gravel in both plastic and concrete versions.

https://terram.com/case-studies/geocell-no-dig-driveway-for-tree-root-protection-st-albans/

 

However not sure if either type will survive an hgv.  I'm thinking Mot 3 for now then something like that on top later? Ideally discuss with tree officer although their suggestions can sometimes be impractical.

 

 

 

Edited July 16, 2021 by Temp

[Jilly]

I feel for you, sounds much worse than the bats! You might be surprised how much can be flexible if you explain your predicament and look for solutions together.

[Bozza]

This is a no dig driveway, which we had to put in because our plot has loads of trees too.  We’ve yet to backfill one side of it, which is handy as you can see what it entails.  The tarmac is permeable.  It meets the requirements for tree root protection, etc.    Trees were a nightmare for our build, but we worked round that problem.  Literally.
 

 

[Ferdinand]

Not thorough enough.

 

They left a gap in the middle ?.

[LSB]

7 hours ago, ToughButterCup said:

 

A near neighbour regularly (6 times a year or more) goes to work early on Sunday mornings. Has asked me to come on a few occasions ... the job?

 

Fell all the trees in area X : leave them where they lie. Off site by lunch time at the latest. Proper tree surgeon in to chop them up, stump machine in when they have finished. Full PP within a year or so, sometimes a little more.

Thats East Lancashire for you. Never happens in West Lancs. Ever.

The same happened on an old farm near where I used to work.  Huge trees, beautiful healthy.  Chopped down then year later Hopkins home building site.

 

 

[LSB]

10 hours ago, Mulberry View said:

Our plot is quite complex and our scheme retains quite a few trees. We're just trying to get to grips with our Tree Protection Plan, it makes me regret working to hard to save trees to be honest, but it's part of what we love about the plot.

 

 

 

 

By my calculations, we need upwards of 70 Heras panels, that's life I guess.

 

The current conundrum is the access driveway, which is shown to require 'no-dig surfacing'. Anyone had similar requirements? What I don't understand is whether we need to be installing our long term driveway sub-structure now or if it's a temporary measure that's needed while we build. It seems to read as though we have to put a permanent geocell structure in place now and a 'sacrificial layer of stone' laid over another geotextile membrane while construction is taking place, to be scraped off at the end.

 

Furthermore, the TPP states that no excavation can take place within the purple hatched area, so it looks like we are going to have to get creative regarding bringing the water main in. The only 2 options I can see are moling, or going across the garden for the existing bungalow, which I'm not that keen on.

 

Talk about throwing us straight in at the deep end!!

How did you know what all the different trees were, I struggle to identify some here.

 

[Mulberry View]

On 16/07/2021 at 20:23, LSB said:

How did you know what all the different trees were, I struggle to identify some here.

 

 

If you mean what species they are, we've managed to identify most of what we have with 'Google Lens'.

 

Though the Arborist knew a lot of them, I had to influence some because they came during the Winter when most stuff was not in leaf. I question some of the ones they've ID'd, but it's not that relevant.

 

What is interesting though is that there are a few smaller trees they didn't actually survey (due to them being within clusters of plants etc.), but that might actually qualify as some of the replacements we have to plant so that's positive.

[Russell griffiths]

You don’t normally list anything under 75mm in diameter. 

[PeterW]

11 minutes ago, Russell griffiths said:

You don’t normally list anything under 75mm in diameter. 

All depends what you’ve asked for - I’ve done them with stuff down to 50mm as they are clusters or like @Mulberry View, they want to use them as proof for there being a continuous habitat available. But if it is for any work in a TPO area, or if for planning purposes then they don’t need to be listed if they are less than 75mm at 1.5m above ground level.