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Work to reduce subsidence risks.
A scheme of works has been developed by WC in conjunction with their Insurance Team for the Paxcroft Mead estate. The works are primarily aimed at reducing the risk of subsidence caused by trees and shrubs.
The Paxcroft Mead estate is built on clay soil which is influenced by moisture content and therefore prone to volumetric change. Where council owned vegetation is located next to houses and gardens there is a high risk of subsidence occurring due to soil moisture uptake by the vegetation, causing the underlying clay to shrink. In many of the subsidence claims the council has dealt with on this estate it has been found that while the foundations are sufficient to support the properties on clay soil they have not been constructed to a sufficient depth to have vegetation planted so close. The council, as the owners of the vegetation, have been liable for the damage caused.
In order for Wiltshire Council to act as a reasonable and prudent landowner it is looking to undertake management of the woody vegetation within its control. The most cost effective approach in this case is deemed to be the removal of trees and shrubs that are adjacent to fences and properties, the removal of high water usage tree species and the removal of other species of tree that are deemed to be inappropriate for their location. In a number of cases it will be reducing vegetation to 1.5m with the intention that once it has re-grown it should then be managed as a hedgerow.
WC has broken the estate down in to 3 areas and within each area there are a number of blocks. There is no ‘one size fits all’ solution for the entire estate, so the specifications are tailored to each block, to take account of the different species of tree and shrub, distances from properties, the locations of vegetation and their intended purpose e.g. visual screen, noise reduction and amenity planting etc.
The works are due to start on the 2nd of November and will take approximately 3 months to complete. WC has placed a number of signs around the estate to inform residents of the forthcoming works, but due to the level of staff resource that would be required and the cost to the council, it is unable to send letters to every property on the estate to inform residents of the works.
Maps for each area are available from me if you wish to see what is intended.