PROJECT EXAMPLE: FROM FARMLAND TO HOUSING ESTATE (KNOTWEED NOT INCLUDED)
A watching brief contract to supervise removal of Japanese knotweed from former farmland under residential construction for over 200 new homes.
Because no-one wants knotweed included in their snagging list!
It’s vital to get development sites checked out for knotweed before the build commences, so we carried out a survey to determine the presence of Japanese knotweed, Giant knotweed or hybrid on this site for a UK house builder. We subsequently provided a watching brief (or site supervision) service to supervise the removal of the five knotweed areas we had identified in our survey. Watching brief is a popular choice if you have the equipment and operatives but need a licensed knotweed contractor to oversee operations in a compliant and safe procedure.
All waste was to be relocated to a stockpile pending removal landfill. A herbicide treatment was also carried out at two other locations.
Formerly agricultural farmland, the site measuring approximately 6 hectares is located in Holgate, Merseyside. An irregular plot of land now a residential construction site in the early stages of development. At the time of survey the site was still in the groundworks stage with drains laid and access roads under construction.
This was a 2-phase contract. Phase 1 was full excavation of knotweed from one site, carried out by others under our supervision, with all waste relocated to stockpile pending removal in phase 2. This site had been disturbed around the knotweed leading to regrowth and spreading – image above shows young shoots appearing in the disturbed mound.
In phase 2 full excavation of knotweed from remaining four sites was carried out by others under our supervision, with all waste directly loaded onto tipper lorries and removed from landfill.
THE OUTCOME
All five areas of knotweed were cleared and the bridleway area was made good, leaving the site free of infestation. It’s vital that new build sites take precautionary measures to ensure invasive plants such as knotweed are either not present, or removed. If neglected knotweed will spread across the site and emerge in new homeowner’s gardens.
If you’d like to speak to our experts about our watching brief service get in touch.