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Landscaping Scheme: technical specifications

When to involve a landscape architect

We advise planning applicants to seek advice from qualified landscape architects from the early stages of designing your development. Landscape Architects are specialists in designing landscaping schemes and can provide the landscaping information needed for your planning application.

Guidance for common technical requirements:

All landscaping works must meet BS 4428 (1989) Code of Practice for General Landscape Operations.

Any design, implementation and maintenance works affecting organic material, must reflect current plant health control - government guidance.

This includes, imports and exports, certification schemes, plant passporting and listed quarantine plant pests, soils, living plants and materials derived from plants, such as timber.

For information on soil, consult the sustainable use of soils on construction sites code of practice published by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA).

If you have any concerns about land stability, refer to the national planning policy and seek a qualified engineer's advice.

Soil requirements in seeded and planted areas

Due to particle-size and compaction, topsoil depths exceeding 400mm can lead to anaerobic conditions unsuitable for rootzones. Topsoil depth should not normally exceed 300mm.

Large subsoil depths are acceptable in terms of plant growth as long as they are structurally stable and have appropriate depths of topsoil above them.

Where plant types are mixed, the soil depth requirements for the plants requiring deeper soils should be utilised to enable the larger plants to source sufficient water and nutrients and establish stabilising roots, e.g. a shrub border including trees or hedge with hedgerow trees should have soil depths sufficient for trees.


New planting typeRead more
Grass  4 herbaceous vascular species: e.g. for permanent lawn, amenity grassland, meadows.

Topsoil depth required  1

Example: 150mm. Minimum: 100mm. Maximum  2: not normally over 300mm.

Subsoil depth required  1

Example: 500mm. Minimum 150mm if combined with maximum topsoil. Maximum: not subject to plant-rooting requirements  3.

Combined soils depth required  1

Example: 650mm. Minimum 450mm. Maximum: not subject to plant-rooting requirements  3.
Shrubs  4 naturally multi-stemmed species: ornamental shrub-beds without trees, formal hedges without trees.

Topsoil depth required  1

Example: 200mm. Minimum: 100mm. Maximum  2: not normally over 300mm.

Subsoil depth required  1

Example: 625mm. Minimum 300mm if combined with maximum topsoil. Maximum: not subject to plant-rooting requirements  3.

Combined soils depth required  1

Example: 825mm. Minimum 600mm. Maximum: not subject to plant-rooting requirements  3.
Trees  4 woody, naturally single-stemmed species: e.g. for individual trees, hedgerow trees, copses, spinneys, woodland.

Topsoil depth required  1

Example: 250mm. Minimum: 100mm. Maximum  2: not normally over 300mm.

Subsoil depth required  1

Example: 750mm. Minimum: 600mm if combined with maximum topsoil. Maximum: not subject to plant-rooting requirements  3.

Combined soils depth required  1

Example: 1000mm, Minimum 900mm, Maximum: not subject to plant-rooting requirements  3.

Land stability

Sustainable drainage systems - SuDS

Plant specifications

Tree and shrub selection

Orchards

Native hedgerows

Native hedgerow takes a minimum of 7-8 years to establish and may not compensate for loss of habitat due to loss of species diversity. If you are replacing unavoidable loss of native hedge, we advise that you provide a greater length of new hedgerow in relation to mature hedgerow lost, and/or additional tree and shrub planting on your site.  

To plant a new native hedge using whips, two staggered rows of 60-90cm 1+1 bareroot transplants are required (except 2L pot grown for holly) with the rows being 30-40cm apart and the plants in the rows being at 30cm spacing i.e. 5No. plants per linear metre. 

An example of an appropriate species mix for native hedge in Cheshire East could be: 70% hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna), 10% hazel (Corylus avellana), 5% holly (Ilex aquifolium), 5% elder (Sambucus nigra), 5% blackthorn (Prunus spinosa), 3% dog rose (Rosa canina), 2% crab apple (Malus sylvestris).

Local variation should be included to reflect local distinctiveness.

Hedgerow planting (PDF, 650KB) - answers to 18 common questions.

Further technical guidance

Contaminated land

Nature Conservation

Trees, woodland and hedges

Listed structures, and historic parks and gardens

Page last reviewed: 12 March 2024