Dropping a kerb near to trees

[benedmonds]

I have a client who has been asked by the council to provide evidence that a dropped kerb can be installed without damaging the street trees. To be honest the client doesn't really want off street parking but the council are insisting as it is part of their planning policy...?

 

Can this be done? Has anyone done it successfully? How can we provide evidence?

 

We could use a cellweb for the parking area, but without digging up the footpath how can we be sure what roots are there?

[David Humphries]

Tree Radar can be utilised via ground penetrating radar to determine the presence or absence of tree roots in these situations.

 

We recently used consultants to see if/where veteran oak roots were in relation to a tarmac path.

 

Tree Radar

Lloyd Bore - News Item

 

 

 

 

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Edited May 26, 2016 by David Humphries

[AA Teccie (Paul)]

Hmmm, what about storm-water management issues, i.e. increased run-off from the hard car parking surface once the garden has disappeared...more particularly as that doesn't appear to be a car-parking hogged street.

 

Anyhow's onto what you asked, after using the jack-hammers to break the surface and then removing it carefully with not more than a mini-digger, you can inspect for the presence of tree roots and hand-dig if present or mini-dig carefully (???) / observantly ideally with you as 'Clerk of Works' supervising.

 

IME other than smaller roots, your unlikely to encounter anything too significant along the kerb-line at that point...so long as it's not London Plane.

 

Sorry, but rushed here but "good luck"

Paul

 

PS Obviously a through visual examination of the tarmac surface for displacement / cracking radially from the tree, or the presence of tree roots breaking the surface, should be undertaken first.

[Chris at eden]

I don't see cellweb working in this situation. For a car the cellwebb need to be 100mm think and then a wearing course on top of this will need to be fitted. The RPA will extend right across the path and so in theory so should the cellweb - so a step in the footway and a big level change to the carriageway. Even if you end the cell web at the edge of the lawn you still have a level change issue which will require digging.

 

The finding the root is easy - well sort off, just excavate a trial trench by hand but you would need the consent of the highways section which they may not give. Its not just the kerb though - you will need to grade down the footway to meet the road which requires more digging.

 

I've written specs for these situations before (as larger developments) and always recommended doing under supervision but I am sceptical of whether they work. I always explain this to the client - i.e. the investigation may well show this isn't possible.

[donnk]

what a farce. the footings ar exactly the same for a dropped kerb as a normal kerb. Whats the difference ?

 

It's idiotic councils coming up with this sort of rubbish which is why the country is going to the dogs!

[Chris at eden]

Hmmm, what about storm-water management issues, i.e. increased run-off from the hard car parking surface once the garden has disappeared...more particularly as that doesn't appear to be a car-parking hogged street.

 

Anyhow's onto what you asked, after using the jack-hammers to break the surface and then removing it carefully with not more than a mini-digger, you can inspect for the presence of tree roots and hand-dig if present or mini-dig carefully (???) / observantly ideally with you as 'Clerk of Works' supervising.

 

IME other than smaller roots, your unlikely to encounter anything too significant along the kerb-line at that point...so long as it's not London Plane.

 

Sorry, but rushed here but "good luck"

Paul

 

PS Obviously a through visual examination of the tarmac surface for displacement / cracking radially from the tree, or the presence of tree roots breaking the surface, should be undertaken first.

 

The surface would need to be either porous or discharge water into a soak-away on site, otherwise it would require planning consent.

[Canal Navvy]

what a farce. the footings ar exactly the same for a dropped kerb as a normal kerb.

 

Seems to be standard practice to winkle out the full kerb and replace with a dropped set

[peatff]

I bet there's less chance of damage to the tree with a dropped kerb than the lamp post next to the tree would have caused. It's not something that would have got a second look, the tree roots will be plenty well established all round without worrying what a bit of shallow digging is going to do to it. Storm water management off of a 20 foot square garden is not exactly going to overpower the drains is it ?

Edited May 26, 2016 by peatff

[AA Teccie (Paul)]

Storm water management off of a 20 foot square garden is not exactly going to overpower the drains is it ?

 

Singularly no, but if all gardens in thd area do so because of Council policy the accumulative effect is significant. If the policy is then implemented elsewhere real problems are created.

[benedmonds]

It's mad.. The planned development is for a single mum with a disabled child, they want to extend over the footprint of a current garage (that is full of stuff but no car!) to have a downstairs bedroom .. They currently park their one car on the road which is a cul-de-sac with plenty of on street parking... The council however want 2 off street parking spaces...