Site Supervision for Commercial Development in Manchester for piling close to trees

Client: Millbank Lock, for the New Build Homes - Countryside Partnerships project.

Project Type: Arboricultural Supervision and Site Monitoring

Services: 

• As arboriculturists, we are increasingly tasked by local planning authorities to monitor the retention and protection of trees on development sites. For instance, we conducted tree monitoring at a construction site in Partington.

Summary:

Arboricultural supervision is now a common condition for many planning approvals, making it crucial to integrate this at the early stages of development. From our experience, sites without supervision often fail to implement adequate tree protection, leading to potential enforcement actions, stop notices, or fines for harming trees under Tree Preservation Orders.

In contrast, supervised sites tend to have less intervention from tree officers. Moreover, local planning authorities require a documented supervision process to fulfill the relevant conditions upon project completion.

The extent of supervision needed varies based on the site's specific needs. While some sites may not require any, others need regular monitoring. Supervision begins with a Project Initiation Site Visit before any demolition or construction, allowing the site manager and arboricultural supervisor to assess the Tree Protection Statement and make necessary adjustments. Subsequent routine inspections are documented throughout the project, enabling the local planning authority to track progress and conduct their inspections if needed.

For project aspects that necessitate construction near trees, specific method statements may be created, sometimes requiring arboricultural supervision for the outlined activities. We collaborate with the site manager to schedule these activities appropriately.