Landscape Management and Maintenance plan

A Landscape Management and Maintenance Plan sets out how a development will maintain the retained landscape and existing ecology of the site. It should include plans to ensure the designed landscape fulfils its roles, including providing habitats and recreational space.

The report should detail in one concise document the aims and objectives of the various landscape components and the mechanisms that will be put in place to ensure its delivery. It should also include hard landscape features which contribute to the framework around which the soft landscape is based. Paving, lighting and fencing also need maintenance so that they remain safe, attractive and fit for purpose. Maintenance details of all of these will be required.

The detail and complexity of the document should reflect the scheme to which it refers. A large scheme which includes specialist habitat creation aimed at sustaining particular species will require a lot more detail than a plan which deals solely with a small public open space with trees and shrubs. The operations within this plan take effect at the end of the defects period.

What to include in your plan

Your report should include management details, maintenance details and accompanying plans.

Management details

Please supply the following information about the site and your plan.

• Overall vision for the designed landscape
• Management responsibilities
• Identification and description of landscape components, including existing and proposed vegetation
• Aims and objectives for each of the key components with details of the expected outcome – e.g. habitat creation, foraging hedgerow, woodland copse, wildflower meadow, chalk grassland, shrubs, herbaceous and bulb borders
• Details of specialist operations required to deliver habitat creation and biodiversity
• Management operations of all functions stating the frequency and duration over the lifetime of the landscape, provided in chart format
• Making good damaged areas / units or subsidence to match original materials
• Cleaning operations including graffiti removal, fly tipping removal, pressure washing, reoiling, re-painting and upgrading
• Failed component re-design and installation liabilities, responsibilities and timings
• Play areas – installation, inspection, maintenance and operation must conform to the BS EN1176 standard for playground equipment. Any third party maintenance contractors must provide their maintenance regime for inclusion in this document
• Procedures must be included for replacement for decommissioned, broken or failed equipment. This replacement equipment will be of similar play value
• Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDs) details, including maintenance details and any specialist operations

Maintenance details

Maintenance details are an essential part of the Landscape management and maintenance plan. Please supply the following information about the planned maintenance of the site.

• Maintenance details of boundary walls, fencing, bollards, and any temporary protective fencing such as post and wire/chestnut palings and knee rails and timing of removal, where these fall outside of a residential curtilage for an individual plot
• Maintenance, cleaning and refurbishment operations for hard paved and loose surfaces such as gravel and pea shingle where these fall outside of a residential curtilage for an individual plot
• Maintenance of tree grilles and guards
• Details of specialist component maintenance such as artwork, water features and signage
• Details of watering, including volume, frequency, method of application and contingencies for drought and hosepipe bans
• Methods and timings for the control of weeds, noxious weeds and alien invasive and notifiable species
• Inspection frequency for loss, damage and replacements
• Inspection frequency for wind rock and associated operations, including tree tie re-fixing, stake replacement, re-firming around roots
• Timings for removal of tree guards, tubes and stakes
• Mulch maintenance
• Heights, timings and methods for tree, hedgerow and shrub pruning, re-shaping and thinning
• Tree maintenance: include safety checks and methods for arboricultural works, both routine and emergency
• Herbaceous and bulb maintenance
• Grassed areas: include cutting regime, methods, machinery, any specialist treatments for meadows – including naming and control methods of undesirable weeds, areas where bulbs have been planted, removal of arisings
• Re-seeding and re-planting of wildflower plugs – frequency of checks and timings for work
• Amenity lawn maintenance operations, thatch removal, moss treatment, spot treatment of weeds, relief of compaction, grass pitch maintenance, aeration methods and maintenance of field drainage
• Litter removal

Accompanying plans

Please supply the following plans along with your report:

• A3 plans of the approved landscape plans and specifications
• A3 plan of the key landscape / habitat components cross referenced to the original specifications
• A3 plan delineating areas of ownership and maintenance responsibility for all communal landscape areas
• A3 plan for any phased maintenance operations relating to rotation of coppicing, meadow / grazing, scrub, thicket thinning etc