Soft Landscaping

Planning Applications

For details of our requirements for outline and detailed planning applications, please click here. If a development is subject to an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), landscape proposals should comply with relevant guidelines.

Site Survey

A detailed site survey and assessment should be the basis for your planning and design process. For planting this will include areas outside the development site itself; you may need to enlist specialist expertise in disciplines such as ecology and hydrology, particularly when determining suitable planting for Sustainable Urban Drainage (SUDS) and nature conservation.

Nature Conservation

Our key aim for sustainable development is to avoid biodiversity loss and protect important habitats and species. Existing areas rich in wildlife may be managed as part of a residential development; new planting should seek to enhance and reconstruct wildlife habitats and link with surrounding networks or corridors. You should refer to our published biodiversity targets and seek specialist ecological advice where required. For further guidance, please consult

• Kent Environment Strategy 2016
• Kent’s Plan Bee
• Kent Nature Partnership Biodiversity Strategy
• Building for Nature (SEEDA)
• Highway Drainage – Making it Happen

Maintenance of Natural Areas

Natural areas require specialist maintenance and management. They must be designed to be compatible with adjacent residential areas, and regarded as community facilities (although access to sensitive habitats may be restricted). Creating buffer zones between residential development and natural habitats can help overcome potential conflicts over these areas’ appearance.

Legislation

You’re legally required to identify and protect certain wildlife species and their habitats under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 and relevant European law. We may withhold Planning Consent if we have concerns about protected species, even on minor developments.

Adoption of Open Space

With long-term maintenance plans for open spaces in place before the scheme goes ahead, the adoption process should be simple. We won’t adopt amenity areas not required for highway purposes, so you’ll need to make private arrangements. We can, however, reach agreements for engineering or safety reasons; some areas are adopted on payment of commuted sums.

Section 9 of the Open Spaces Act 1906 enables amenity areas such as recreation areas and parks to be maintained by the local District Planning Authority: agreements must be in place before planning permission is granted.

In residential or commercial developments, landscape management can be funded and undertaken by residents or business associations.

Service Margins

Statutory undertakers normally locate plant and apparatus underneath footways and in-service margins. Without agreed arrangements, this can lead to maintenance problems, congestion and difficulty in placing new installations. You should ensure that

• trees and other key structural vegetation remain completely undisturbed. Damage by service routes must not compromise environmental objectives
• underground and overhead services are accessible and not in conflict with structural plants and trees

Trees

Trees make a vital invaluable contribution to the street scene, and also help mitigate the impact of new developments in rural areas. We want to see existing trees and other vegetation retained wherever possible, provided they have a definite function. Removing a tree, especially if it’s healthy and mature, must be a last resort. You’ll need to factor the Capital Asset Value of Amenity Trees (CAVAT) into your development costs.

New trees must not unduly interfere with other street furniture, particularly traffic signs and streetlights. BSEN 5489 states that ‘In new streets where trees are to be planted, the lighting should be designed first and the planting sites fixed afterwards.’

Trees and Construction

If trees are damaged during construction, it is usually impossible to repair or save them. It will also affect the CAVAT value, which may lead to recovery action by the owner. To prevent damage to existing trees, you should

• erect fencing and other protection in accordance with BS 5837
• assess the impact of proposed ground-level changes and underground infrastructure routes; these must be shown on any planning submissions and construction drawings

Proposed New Trees

Spaces for new trees must be positively designed into the new development as part of the core landscaping. They must not be infringed by roads, services or other infrastructure. When planting new trees, you must allow enough space for the root system of the mature tree, with good access to water, air and nutrients. To ensure they don’t need to be removed later, you should consider specific characteristics, including

• growth of roots and branches
• seasonal habits (dropping leaves or fruit, providing shade)
• maintenance requirements

Conflict with Roots

Concerns sometimes arise over the conflict between tree roots and buildings, footways, services and infrastructure. Tree roots usually grow beyond the spread of the branches and will typically be concentrated in the top 600mm of the soil.

Failure to provide enough completely undisturbed growing space for the roots of existing and new trees is the most common mistake we see in planting design; we recommend seeking professional advice.

Damage to footways, footpaths and service margins

As they mature, the natural growth and expansion of the trunk and main roots tree can lift or crack paved surfaces and damage adjacent walls. You must allow sufficient space for this around all trees.

For tree pits within the highway environment, you should adhere to the minimum standard specifications: the highway adoption engineer can provide detailed drawings.

Trees and Clay Soils

Trees taking moisture out of clay soils exaggerate soil shrinkage. Mature trees have the most significant impact on shrinkable clay. The most problematic are generally poplar (Populus spp.) willow (Salix spp.) and oak (Quercus spp.) Conversely, removing large trees from clay soils can cause the ground to swell or ‘heave’, also leading to structural displacement of inadequate foundations.

Not all Kent’s clay soils are susceptible to shrinkage; you should seek local advice and carry out a detailed site assessment. Further guidance can be found in the NHBC standard – Buildings Near Trees and Building Research Establishment Digest 298.

Appropriate Species, Planting Techniques and Topsoil

Planting proposals must demonstrate a clear response to the conditions and nature of the site and the impact of the development. In an urban square, ornamental or non-native species may be more appropriate than native planting.

Natural regeneration can be used in conjunction with standard planting schemes to create natural landscapes; however, It must not be seen as a low-cost alternative. Where naturalistic vegetation is planted, it must be in a location where residents and site users may perceive an ‘unmaintained’ area; the seed or stock should be of local provenance.

Please click on the below for more details about the following:

Specification, Maintenance and Management Plans

A good landscape scheme depends on the quality of the plant material and the standard of planting and aftercare, which should run seamlessly into the long-term management of the site.

Your submission to the District Planning Authority must include a planting specification. Where plant material is to be adopted by us, it is vital that the standard of implementation is agreed prior to the completion of negotiations.

Water, drainage and SUDS

Surface water drainage methods that take account of quantity, quality and amenity issues are collectively referred to as Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems (SUDS). An effective SUDS scheme may incorporate a network of swales, filtration strips and small wet detention ponds, plus porous surfaces. In an urban area, they could form a constructed wetland. You’ll need to carry out an initial surveys to determine whether your site can accept SUDS features.

Some SUDS will be large-scale with far-reaching physical and visual impacts on the landscape. These are difficult to retrofit and should form part of your initial overall landscape design. Please refer to our Sustainability (Drainage Systems) document on the Drainage page for more information.