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Landscape maintenance

The Association is rightly proud of the very high levels of resident satisfaction with the services provided. However, there is one exception, Landscape Maintenance, where the satisfaction scores from surveys are not as high as we would like them to be.

We have carried out 3 satisfaction surveys to date and the scores out of 10 have been 5.87, 6.47 and 6.51 and whilst this demonstrates continuous improvement, it does not compare with other surveys for example Repairs and Letting Homes where the scores are between 8 and 9 out of 10.

One of the most frequent complaints from residents surveys related to the condition of shrub beds and trees, so to improve the situation, we have employed the services of a specialist horticultural consultant. His conclusion was that some of the shrub beds are too dense and too old and in many instances, the best course of action is complete removal and remodelling. Other beds required severe pruning to identify non viable plants which are being removed and replaced with new varieties.

Apart from the main grass cutting contract, two separate contracts have been let, the first one is to carry out remodelling of the landscaping schemes on 8 locations at a cost of £63,000. A further 3 sites are to be included in the programme in 2007/08.

The second contract involves shrub pruning on 39 sites at a cost of £13,000. The three year grass cutting contract was up for renewal, and five contractors were invited to tender. Prices for the first year varied between £81,000 and £165,000 and the lowest price was submitted by Jones Donnelly who have been awarded the contract. The specification has been extended to include one extra grass cut in March, weed and feed treatment to lawned areas, and two tidy up visits in November and December. Before the contract started, a meeting was held where the contractors were informed of the issues raised by residents which in turn had led to comparatively low scores on the satisfaction surveys.

The Association has significantly increased the level of investment into Landscape Maintenance and it is sincerely hoped that this will lead to a corresponding increase in satisfaction levels.