Relocation Project
28th June 2019
As part of our growth, we are relocating our offices and yard to a bigger land. This will provide us with more space that will be used for improving staff welfare and improving the storage facilities for all of our equipment, machinery, materials and vehicles.
The relocation project involves a lot of planning and discussions with our stakeholders. Rheanne, our Administrator, is heading this project as part of her Business Administration Level 3 course. Rheanne is organising weekly discussions where ideas and plans are brainstormed and progress is discussed between the team.
Simon, our Managing Director, is assisting Rheanne on this project with his experience and resources. They have looked into different modular buildings with versatile functions and shapes. Recently, they visited Concept Cabins, a portable accommodation company based in Derbyshire.
Our ideal modular building will consist of an open plan conference room to accommodate a desk for 10 people to sit around and have meetings. Alongside this module, there will be an office space which will accommodate four to five people and their individual desks along with other office furniture and equipment. The building will also have rooms with welfare facilities.
This new office space will bring more cost effective benefits to the organisation and our members in the long term. The rooms will have a variety of windows which will provide a great view into the rural fields around, and great lighting too.
Currently, Rheanne is considering two different options of lands to have the new offices and yard located, and is in negotiation with the landlords.
This is an exciting project which requires extensive planning and negotiation, and is estimated to be completed within 6 to 9 months. The actual moving out and moving in will only take approximately two weeks.
This week we have also acquired two new vehicles to add to our fleet, with the great support and customer service of Pentagon in Lincoln. We have a new Citroen pick-up truck which is an essential vehicle for logistical purposes such as transporting turf and other landscaping materials to sites. The other vehicle is a compact van, Vauxhall Vivaro, which is perfect for taking smaller teams to sites.
We are all very excited about relocating and continuing growing our organisation.
Useful links:
https://www.conceptcabins.co.uk
https://www.pentagon-group.co.uk/locations/lincoln-tritton-road
Church Lane, Saxilby
21st June 2019
This week we have completed a project we started back in February – Church Lane, Saxilby. This is a residential development built by Acis Group Limited, a Gainsborough-based housing provider, and Lindum Construction, part of Lindum Group. The project is a housing development of approximately 60 new homes for people aged 55 and over – 50 bungalows and 10 flats.
We started working on this project at the same time we were working with Lindum Homes at Church Fields, another residential development sitting adjacent to Church Lane. Throughout the project, we have been present on site almost every single day since February, working on various public open spaces, swale areas and the actual front and rear gardens of bungalows and flats. Our works on site entailed the typical elements of soft landscaping, including topsoil preparation, planting shrubs and trees, bark mulch spreading, turf laying and seeding.
We have come across several challenges which have affected our work agenda and the level of effort we have put into the project. The preparation of topsoil was particularly difficult. We were faced with very warm, dry and water scarce conditions, and at times we had long days of endless rain. We had to make sure that the living nature of our landscaping scheme (the turf, plants and trees), were kept healthy and green at all times regardless of the temperature and availability of water. The Team, led by Site Supervisor Dan, have put extra effort to overcome these challenges and have successfully handed over the project before the deadline.
We have effectively given our personal attention to our client by overcoming the challenges and handing over the project on time, and now we have a very happy client who is willing to work with us again in the near future in existing and new projects.
Useful Links:
https://lindumgroup.com/news/2018/08/new-homes-to-be-built-in-saxilby-for-over-55s
https://www.acisgroup.co.uk/our-news/saxilby-reserve-a-new-home-now-962
Final 111 homes phase of controversial Saxilby plans approved
Long-term Service
14th June 2019
This week we celebrate the long serving members of the team who have been with us through significant periods of growth, challenges and achievements.
Wal is our longest serving member, with an outstanding 10-years of service. When the company was made up of only Simon and Nicci in 2008, Wal started working with them through a recruitment agency. With his unique set of skills and expertise in elements of hard landscaping and DIY, Wal has contributed massively to the landscaping schemes and to the overall growth of the company. Not only has Wal contributed to the landscaping aspects, he has mentored other members of the team bringing them up to what they are today. Wal has led the team by example and with integrity – he is like the big brother to us all. We look up to him and we aspire to inherit his landscaping and leadership skills. Today, Wal continues to develop the youngsters joining our team, bringing the best out of them.
Dan has been with us for 7 years now. Similar to Wal, Dan worked with us on a few landscaping projects through a recruitment agency, and by demonstrating an invaluable set of skills and a likeable character, he was signed up. Dan has an immense amount of experience and knowledge on the best methods to carry out landscaping tasks. His methodology of work and comradery towards the team inspire us to achieve tight deadlines under challenging conditions.
Joe has been with us for 6 years now. Having joined the company when he was only 17, Joe has demonstrated a mature approach to challenging tasks and excellent work ethics. He soon developed a unique leadership style and an invaluable set of landscaping skills which has shaped up the standards of quality we strive for today.
Ayrton joined us in 2014 through his friendship with Joe. Having worked on several projects and sites with the team, Ayrton demonstrated loyalty and a likeable character. He has an understanding of the team dynamics and has contributed to the on-going development of the team with his acquired skills and knowledge.
We value every member of our growing team and their unique characters, and we give credit to all of them for where the company is right now and where it is heading.
Lovell Homes and West Lindsey Landscapes Ltd
6th June 2019
This week we have secured our first ever contract with Lovell Homes, a multinational residential development organisation operating in England, Wales and Scotland. The contract we have secured is for the maintenance of a site which Lovell is currently building, Ingleby View. This is a residential development in Saxilby and the construction works will start during Summer of 2019. 133 new houses of 2, 3 and 4 bedrooms will be built in the village which is only 7 miles away from Lincoln. With currently three major residential developments in the village, Saxilby is thriving for growth.
Our maintenance contract for Ingleby View with Lovell entails an initial clearance to the site area. We will operate a strimmer to cut the vegetation down to ground level. We will then apply herbicide to certain areas to completely kill off remaining, unwanted vegetation. Upon completion of the initial clearance works, we will then engage in a regular maintenance regime, where we will carry out several activities to ensure that the site remains well kept and tidy. During each maintenance visit, we will remove all litter/debris from the areas to then safely cut the grass using mowers and strimmers. Weeds will be removed regularly by hand and by herbicide application. The duration of our maintenance contract is for 4 years. Once a year we will carry out hedge pruning works in the appropriate season, between October and November, to ensure we do not disturb the bird nesting season.
We are delighted to have started a new working relationship with Lovell, and we would like to be involved with their new exciting developments across the midlands.
On a side note, our project with Lindum Construction, Church Lane, is coming to an end soon with most areas being almost completely landscaped. We look forward to continuing working with Lindum Homes in Church Fields, and continuing to cultivate the relationships with have with our very valued clients.
Useful links:
https://www.lovell.co.uk/developments/ingleby-view-saxilby/
https://www.lovell.co.uk
https://thelincolnite.co.uk/2018/11/work-to-start-next-year-on-133-new-saxilby-homes/