Supporting Housebuilders Through The Lifecycle Of Their Sites

Here, we explore key surveying activities that can help housebuilders reduce costs, protect the environment and limit negative sentiment within local communities.

Regular Drone Surveys And The Reduction Of Landfill Tax

Landfill Tax is a UK environmental tax which is applied to waste disposed of at landfill sites. Charged by weight, it’s designed to discourage disposal while encouraging reuse, recycling and recovery.

However if waste isn’t tracked and monitored accurately – especially on projects involving remediation, bulk earthworks and demolition – it can lead to significant costs being incurred by a developer, and often ones that weren’t factored into the project plan from the outset. Rates increase annually too, meaning landfill disposal gets more and more expensive over time which is a significant problem on long-term developments.

But as our in-depth piece on reducing landfill tax bills shows, a surveying-led approach and early intervention can minimise disposal volumes, avoid unnecessary disposal through reuse and recovery, and allow housebuilders and developers to make informed decisions on a project’s whole-life cost.

Drone surveys play a critical role here, creating 3D terrain models that can assist with cut & fill calculations to help designers repurpose material within the constraints of the development. Terrain models can also be used to calculate precise volumes of stockpiles, excavations, embankments and remediation areas. Quicker than traditional ground surveys, using drones for regular monitoring saves time and money; a win-win, especially given the budget and timing constraints faced by housebuilders and developers in the current climate.

The Importance Of Noise, Dust And Vibration Monitoring

Noise, dust and vibration (NDV) are all unavoidable byproducts of building new housing developments, but it is critical that housebuilders and contractors manage these elements effectively to safeguard people and the built environment.

Noise, for instance, can be harmful to workers and nearby residents; dust can significantly impact air quality for those on site and the people living in the local area; and vibration can damage structures within the vicinity.

For these reasons, accurate environmental monitoring is vitally important. It can:

• Ensure regulatory compliance and reduce the risk of penalties or site closures
• Help manage community relations by demonstrating accountability and supporting early intervention if necessary
• Maintain project efficiencies through real-time alerts which can prevent costly delays and avoid reputational damage
• Support sustainability endeavours by tracking the environmental footprint of construction activities

At Survey Solutions, our monitoring services can be tailored to create a bespoke package which can include real-time noise, dust and vibration monitoring, as well as compliance tracking and reporting. Failure to monitor NDV in a timely and accurate way could lead to severe financial and reputational damage for your business.

CCTV Drainage Surveys: A Legal Requirement

Housebuilders and developers mustn’t forget about the importance of underground conditions when on-site either.

It is easy to focus on what’s sitting above ground, but as-built CCTV Drainage surveys are a legal requirement before any drainage system can be adopted by the water authority.

These surveys are vital for ascertaining whether there are any potential issues that need rectifying such as structural defects, root ingress, cracks or blockages, giving housebuilders and developers crucial information which can be factored into project plans and budgets. A CCTV Drainage Survey also provides an as-built record of the drainage network, in turn giving the developer confidence that the drainage has been installed as per design drawings.

Supporting Early-Stage Feasibility

Our surveying services play a critical role in helping housebuilders and developers discover the feasibility and viability of potential developments, too.

These include underground surveys which can negate the impact of the New Roads and Street Works Act; the use of drone surveys which provide a low-cost option for gathering initial topographical data at a site; and land and utility surveys for aiding site design.

You can read more about this in our recent blog on how surveys can deliver engineering certainty for housebuilders and developers.

Need Support With Your Housebuilding Project?

At Survey Solutions, we provide a range of surveying and monitoring services for housebuilders all over the UK, with our fast, accurate and reliable surveys supporting residential development projects nationwide.

Whether undertaking a residential project or a larger development, we provide the information you need to proceed with confidence. To discuss your project or request a quotation, please complete the form below.