Clearance, site landscaping and grounds maintenance
Tony Benger Landscaping (TBL) has been delivering beautiful landscapes for Redrow Homes for over 30 years. Back in 1989 Tony, with a small team, started working on show homes for Costain Homes, who were bought out by Redrow 10 years later. Tony recalls, ‘I was the only subcontractor to survive the changeover to Redrow and it seems like we never stopped working for them since’. When Redrow Homes announced that they will be expanding and constructing their 1st site in Cornwall, a reliable and trustworthy landscaper was a natural choice; therefore, Tony Benger Landscaping was involved at Mellior Park right from the start.
Site clearance
The site clearance at Mellior Park is still, to this day, considered by many in our company to be the perfect example of what can be achieved with efficient work arrangements and eagerness to go the extra mile (metaphorically and geographically!)
We received the call on the Wednesday afternoon requesting the quotation for the clearance of a large number of mature trees in Redruth – work which had to be started the following Monday! Our Commercial Maintenance Department Manager, Mark Pritchard, was there the following morning to meet the site manager and conduct a detailed survey of the required works.
Fast forward to Monday and TBL started work at 8:30 am sharp with chippers, chainsaws and a team of 12 of their dedicated landscapers & tree surgeons. This continued for a further 2 weeks with some very long hours put in by the team. The key members of staff were staying overnight in the Redruth area to meet the demand for the works. Mark Pritchard still vividly recalls staying late nights in the workshop, repairing and maintaining the machinery ready for the next day. The tremendous effort of highly trained staff and deployment of latest kit were all crucial to the successful completion of works in an unprecedently short timespan without causing delays to the proposed build schedule.
Business development in Cornwall
Our first experience of working deep down in Cornwall taught us a few important lessons – firstly that there was a good level of demand in the area as many established landscaping firms were not willing to operate in the more remote locations. Secondly, as we wanted to grow our presence in Cornwall, we had to have a dedicated satellite yard in a central position. That’s exactly how our Okehampton branch got started. It has exponentially grown over the last 5 years, now housing a purpose-built office, bays for the storage of bulk materials and even a small nursery for the storage and care of stock plants. To facilitate remote communication, we embraced the Reflow remote working app. Okehampton operatives now have instant access to a much greater amount of relevant and important information eg changes to site drawings, customer requirements, new product info etc. The flow of information back to managers in the Axminister HQ is instant and photographic records of job completion are instantly available for customer as well. The Okehampton branch has now become an essential part of TBL business operations.
General plot landscaping
When plot landscaping was undertaken at Mellior, Tony Benger Landscaping could already offer a well-coordinated team in Cornwall - Richard Bowyer as the main Team Leader, Pete Hewitt as his second and Arron Jones together with Charlotte Pritchard as Contacts Managers for this project.
The smooth running of this site was also well facilitated by a great working relationship with the SHC head groundworker, Darren. This allowed coordination of working arrangements and ensured required levels and quality of topsoil - crucial for best horticultural practices. We also had a good understanding with the Site manager Simon Jackson, who would programme all landscaping works in batches of 3-4 plots at a time. This made planning jobs easier and allowed larger teams to work more efficiently. Redrow Homes were also pleased knowing that any changes required could be implemented quickly as we had larger capacity on site.
Advanced ground preparation and seeding techniques
Site layout meant we could also use a range of machinery to ensure a better finish and quicker progress. The gardens beingly a good size meant that instead of using a rotavator, landscapers took advantage of operating a Blec box rake which could penetrate even harder surfaces and level them at the same time without creating uneven compaction.
The main POS area at Mellior Park featured planting, trees and a swale through the centre of the site. As site work progressed quickly, there was a need for rapid development of the main POS swale which would make the site greener and more pleasant for residents. It was decided to use our specialist team to complete hydro-seeding in this area. Hydroseeding is perfect for applying seed to banks, and when blended with a mulch it can help seeds germinate quickly and with a better success rate.
The end results of this site were received very well by both Redrow Homes and residents at Mellior park which then provided a nice flow of private landscaping work for additional elements to make each garden more personalised.
Wonder if your housing development could benefit from working together with Bengers? Call us on 01404 831844 and select the Commercial Option. We will carefully listen to your commercial landscaping needs and take care of everything for you.