Gardening Working Group

Gardening Working Group

1. Purpose

To monitor the condition of all gardens and common areas of the estate and to recommend to the Board any actions necessary to satisfy the Company’s Gardening Policy

2. Formation

The Gardening Working Group will consist of a Chairman, who will be a member of the Board, who will seek volunteers to support the work of the Group who are adequately qualified and motivated. The GWG will seek to have broad geographical representation from the estate where possible.

3. Estate Maintenance

The GWG shall work with the Managing Agent to select Contractors to perform gardening works and maintenance. Such selections shall be approved at each stage of the process by the POSOL Board.

The GWG shall maintain the Schedule of Requirements for the principal Gardening contractor and shall review the requirements periodically and recommend any changes to the POSOL Board for review and approval.

The GWG shall work with the Managing Agent to ensure that periodic inspections are carried out to ensure that work is being correctly carried out and at such frequency as is specified within the Schedule of Requirements.

Where an individual Shareholder is concerned about the gardening in a particular location any complaint or suggestion should be routed to the Managing Agent in the first place via the form on the website, who will then consult with the GWG. Residents should not make their demands directly to the gardeners working on site. The GWG will take a pro-active role in recommending action to resolve gardening problems requiring urgent remedy.

In the event that the GWG recommends that a tree or large plant should be removed from a front garden on the grounds it may cause damage then the house owner will be given the option of demanding that the tree or plant is left in place. In such instances the house owner will be asked to sign a document absolving POSOL from vany responsibility for damage caused by the tree or plant.

4. Refurbishments

At intervals, it may be desirable to rejuvenate a particular area or part of the estate. The GWG will ensure that all residents in the area will be consulted to determine the gardening style to be adopted for that area and will arrange for the managing agent to ensure that they are kept informed of the proposed works and schedule for completion.

The GWG will also maintain a record of refurbishments carried out.

5. Items Specifically not covered by the POSOL Gardening Service

The following items are examples of items specifically not covered by the POSOL gardening Service :

  • Maintenance of rear gardens
  • Keeping capping clear of plants and rubbish
  • Watering and maintenance of plants in pots and planters installed by Shareholders
  • Maintenance of garden ornaments or water features
  • Removal of waste or rubbish not generated by the Gardening Contractor
  • Pest Control (this is handled by Portsmouth City Council)

6. Opting out

The houses are freehold and any house owner may decline to take advantage of the gardening service for front gardens by POSOL. Householders who do not want POSOL to maintain their front gardens should register their opt-out with the Managing Agent. Shareholders declining to take advantage of this service are not entitled to any reduction in their service charges.

Should a Shareholder wish to opt back in, POSOL will conduct a review of the garden prior to acceptance to consider whether the garden is in a reasonable condition. If the garden requires work, POSOL will identify what work needs to be done before it can accept the garden back into its charge.

7. Planning and Budgeting

The GWG will develop and maintain a forward-looking plan of works so that the board can budget appropriately. The plan shall contain the following items and the GWG shall work with the Managing Agent to identify the costs of the plan to allow the Board to confirm which elements shall be approved.

  1. Baseline general maintenance of the estate.
  2. Minor additional works
  3. Individual Plans for Major Programmes (such as Refurbishments, large scale Tree Surgery etc)
  4. Investment in Equipment/Capital Items etc.

For members of the Working Group go to Menu > Management > Directors and Working Groups.

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