Grounds maintenance

On this page we want to keep you updated on how we look after the land that we own.

Apart from individual homes and gardens, Selwood Housing also own other areas of land within our communities.

Restarting our grounds maintenance service

The second phase of restarting our grounds maintenance service will complete in mid July. At this point, the majority of grassed land areas that we are responsible for within our communities will have been cut.

From mid July until early August, second cuts will be taking place to maintain the grass, as our work schedules start to return to normal.

Thank you for your patience at this time, and for maintaining good social distance from our contractors whilst they work.

A new and refreshed service

Following a project last year to update and improve our land maps and information, you will see some changes to our grounds maintenance service from this March. You can find out more below:

Grass on our land will be cut 16 times a year between March and November. During the first cut in March, cuttings will be removed when they are at their longest. This will depend on need and length of the grass
Hedges will now be cut three times a year; in March, August and October. This takes into account the end of the bird nesting season and should support keeping summer growth in hand
We are planting low maintenance shrubs across all of our borders and beds, instead of summer bedding, so we have all 'year-round' shrubs which flower
Weeds and litter from hard surfaces and paths will continue to be removed
We have also introduced a new position within the property team with specific responsibility for our grounds maintenance programme. They will spend most of their time out of the office, checking work has been completed to our required standards.

Our contractor

IdVerde will continue to deliver our grounds maintenance service.

**Coming soon - We'll soon be making available here a link to IdVerde's dedicated microsite. You'll be able to find out more about our grounds maintenance service, including a road name search for your next grass cut.

Whilst Id Verde cut grass on our behalf, they also cut grass on behalf of Wiltshire Council. However, the service that each organisation receives is different and they are managed independently of each other.

Trees

We are responsible for maintaining trees on our communal land, to ensure that they do not pose a health and safety risk to members of the public. There are three ways in which we may treat a tree; pollarding, crown lifting or felling.

We will only treat trees within our customer's gardens that are deemed a health and safety risk, or that are causing damage to property. We may charge our tenant for any work we undertake.

As a Selwood Housing customer, if you are concerned about a tree on our land, or within your garden please let us know using the form below.

Do you have a question?

If you have any questions about our grounds maintenance service, please send us your question via the form below or call us on 01225 715 715.

We will first check if the land or feature in question is owned by Selwood Housing. If it is not, and the land is within Wiltshire, you can report your query to Wiltshire Council via the 'MyWiltshire' app or via their website.

Grounds maintenance form

We are serious about protecting your privacy and promise to store and look after your personal information carefully and in line with UK law and our privacy notice.

Frequently asked questions

Why are grass cuttings left on the ground?

From March this year we will endeavour to remove cuttings following the first cut in the season. This will depend on need and the length of the grass.

As part of the review of our grounds maintenance service last year, we consulted customers and staff on our plans. A common concern that was shared, was around long grass cuttings being left on the grass. Whilst there are a number of considerations around this element of the service, we have agreed this change.

It is important to note that this will depend on how quickly grass has grown over the winter months.

Why can't hedges be cut more often?

We have to ensure that no birds are using any hedge or tree for nesting. This is a legal requirement and may affect how often we cut hedges.

Hedges on communal land will be cut three times a year; in March, August and October.

Why are some areas of grass not cut as frequently as others?

It may depend on who owns the land that the grass is part of. Different land owners will have different grounds maintenance plans in place. At Selwood Housing we cut grass that we own 16 times a year, between March and November.

All grass cutting is weather dependent. If the weather over the summer months is particularly dry we may reduce cutting frequency to protect the grass.

If you have a concern about an area of grass that hasn't been cut, please let us know using our form below.

Bad weather has meant that land near me hasn't been cut. How long will the grass be left for?

If we have a significant period of rain on a day when grass cutting is due, our contractors have 7 days in which to reschedule this land for cutting. This enables our contractors time to ensure work in other areas isn't delayed.