Environmental services 

Grounds maintenance 

• Grounds Maintenance Team 

  The grounds maintenance teams deal with all aspects of maintaining and installing soft landscaping including grass cutting, pruning and small scale landscaping design throughout the borough, in other words for housing, highways, public buildings, parks and schools.

  The Client Liaison Officer gives general advice and costing to the public about overgrown areas and shrubs.

  Throughout the borough there are 23 grounds maintenance teams, including 114 front line staff and 6 officers.

  The operational time is 7.25am - 15.48pm.

   

• Parks and garden fencing 

  The fencing that divides gardens to parks are not the responsibility of us. We do not have to supply this fencing.

  If there is no fencing, residents can gain permission to put their own fencing up around their garden.

  Securing property is down to the public.

  However the Grounds Maintenance Team are currently renewing the fencing of parks.

  If you would like any further information about the fencing that divides parks to garden please contact us.

   

• Weed Spraying 

  If you would like to report the existence of weeds in paths, the Highways Team will visit to the reported area and then if required pass the report on to the Grounds Maintenance Team.

  The Grounds Maintenance Team uses a low resistance chemical to remove weeds throughout the borough.

  However local DIY stores, for example Homebase, sell over the counter chemicals that are much stronger than the local authority has permission to use.

  These DIY stores offer effective advice and the public can purchase these at cost effective prices.

  Purchasing chemicals from DIY stores allow you to control how much is used.

   

• Soft landscaping 

  Soft Landscaping gives space, character, interest and colour all the year round. It adds a dimension that is always changing with the seasons, with each day's weather and as the plants mature.

  It provides a breath of fresh air for mind and body, feel the difference whilst in the parks. It is also of educational value, offering a home or feeding place for wildlife.

  The successful establishment and continuing provision of public open space in cities and towns require the services of efficient amenity management and maintenance professionals, as well as inspired designers.

  Incorporating water drainage, catchment and storage; the conservation of wildlife, scenic, historic and cultural features; field sports.

  Landscaping provides a positive advertising medium for the borough, attracts new business and brings quality of life; generating a sense of well-being.

  Well-designed and maintained landscaped areas and parks can have a significant effect on improving the quality of life for residents, instilling pride and counteracting crime and vandalism.

   

• Grass cutting 

  We cut grass to ensure that people can use roads and pavements safely. Although environmental issues are of great concern, grass cutting is actually carried out for highway safety reasons.

  What grass will we not cut?
  We do not cut the grass that is:

  • Privately owned
  • On properties/estates owned by non-council organisations

  What will we cut?
  We will cut the grass on all council owned land, in other words:

  • Highways *
  • Verges
  • Public open space
  • Schools
  • Parks
  • Town centres
  • Memorial gardens

  * except on the old part of the A13 from Movers Lane to Roding Bridge, this is looked after by Transport for London.

  How often do we cut the grass?
  We cut the grass which we own, fortnightly throughout the summer months.

   

• Horticultural standards 

  The Parks and Countryside team are responsible for the day-to-day running and maintenance of the various local parks distributed across the borough.

  Large parks have a dedicated team of staff who pride themselves in delivering a high standard of horticultural maintenance. Mobile gardening teams regularly visit the smaller parks and open space sites to ensure that the defined standards are maintained.

  The parks staff ensure that the quality and range of horticultural features such as:

  • Grass areas
  • Litter collection
  • Flower and shrub beds
  • Hedges
  • Playgrounds
  • Outdoor sports facilities

  Are all maintained appropriately and that standards of cleanliness and health and safety are achieved by regular inspection.

   

• Verges 

  The majority of grass verges next to roads are within the public highway and therefore come under the responsibility of us as the Highway Authority.

  In fulfilling its responsibilities as Highway Authority, we are required to keep verges safe and unobstructed and this is particularly important at road junctions where clear visibility for motorists and pedestrians is important.

  We arrange grass cutting in-house or via external contractors. Funding is allocated annually through the routine highways maintenance budget to ensure that grass cutting is continued throughout the growing season.

  In rural areas, a number of grass verges have rare or endangered species of flora/fauna and here the grass cutting regime is tailored to suit.