Grounds maintenance is how we keep grass, hedges and shrub beds tidy and well kept so that the areas around your home and your local neighbourhood are nice places to live in.
To do this, we work with our service provider, Tivoli, a multi award-winning UK ground maintenance company with over 30 years’ experience in both the public and private sector.
It's a huge job as we have more than...
⦁ Two million square metres of grassland
⦁ 80,000 square metres of shrub beds
⦁ Eleven miles of privet hedging
Our grounds maintenance work includes:
⦁ Grass cutting
⦁ Shrub bed maintenance
⦁ Hedge trimming
⦁ Weed control
⦁ Leaf collection
To find out more, click on the links below. If you're looking for information on trees, we've got a dedicated page for that.
Grass will be cut every two to three weeks during the growing season.
In most areas grass cuttings won’t be collected but will be blown away from pathways or other hard surfaces.
It is very expensive to remove cut grass from all our land but when left in place, the cuttings provide a ready source of fertiliser and also help the soil retain water. This promotes root growth and a healthier lawn.
In some areas we'll also leave grass to grow to help increase biodiversity although you will be contacted directly if this applies to an area around your home.
- All grassed areas will be cut between April and October, subject to the weather and ground conditions.
- Litter and other debris will be collected before cutting.
- Grass will be cut to a consistent height.
- Edges will be trimmed and/or sprayed, where needed.
- Hard standing areas will be sprayed to control weed growth, where needed.
Shrub beds will be pruned twice a year but we won't cut them in the bird nesting season which runs between March and August.
A monthly maintenance visit will help to control weeds and we'll also remove litter.
Shrubs next to paths will be regularly maintained so that they don’t cause an obstruction.
We cut hedges twice a year but not in the bird nesting season which runs between March and August.
Weeds growing in hard standing areas will be sprayed and removed once the spray has taken effect.
We'll do this as needed throughout the growing season and low chemical spray will be used.
We'll clear leaves on areas we maintain once all the leaves have fallen and on one other occasion if needed.
Grounds maintenance through the seasons
We all know the great British weather can be unpredictable so there can be changes in grass cutting needs depending on the time of the year and weather conditions.
Typically, throughout the year the following may apply:
November to early March
Colder and wetter conditions mean the grass grows slower and ground conditions may not be suitable for heavy cutting machinery.
March to early June and late September to early November
It's ideal growing conditions in this period which means grass can grow longer and quicker and more excess grass is left after cutting.
May to late September
If we have lots of warm and dry weather, growth slows and the grass may go brown. If it's wet and warm, the grass may grow more than usual.
What happens in bad weather?
We'll always try and cut the grass when needed but bad weather can sometimes make this harder. Lots of rain can cause the ground to be saturated with water and mean we can't use cutting equipment.
If this happens, Tivoli will contact us to let us know that grass cutting may have to be delayed until conditions improve to stop damage to the surface.
Help us improve your communal areas
Our Grounds Maintenance Key Residents are volunteer customers who help us review our work and let us know about any issues so that we can work together to put them right.
Find out more about being a Key Resident role and how to register.
Something not right?
Have you spotted something on our land that needs looking at?
Please report it to us through our online form, come and see us at one of our Hubs, or call us on 0345 8 507 507.