Client: Purbeck District Council
Programme: April 2017 to March 2025
The contract was awarded for an 8 year period. An annual review is carried out to update the specification and discuss the contractor’s performance. Additional work items are requested by the client as required and can be one off works or items to be added to the regular maintenance regimes for the duration of the contract.
In April 2017 Purbeck District Council commissioned Lowther Forestry Group to undertake the grounds maintenance contract of its land assets. The contract is split into two areas: General Grounds Maintenance and the maintenance of the Wareham Town Walls a scheduled Ancient Monument.
Via its regional depot based within the district, Lowther Forestry provides a locally employed, dedicated three man team to implement the activities. These are scheduled with the supervising officer from the council at the start of each season and a dedicated contracts supervisor is assigned to the contract to ensure resources, programmed activities are provided on time and to the required specification.
General Grounds Maintenance
This section of work covers multiple public open space areas located over 16 towns and villages across the Purbeck District. Works include regular grass cutting, hedge maintenance, weed control, shrub management, ditch cleaning, litter picking and maintenance of four closed cemeteries.
Cemetery Maintenance
As part of the service level agreement, grounds maintenance of four closed Cemeteries is carried out.
Scheduled Ancient Monuments
Wareham Town Walls are earthen banks and ditches surrounding the old town of Wareham and formed the original town defenses in Saxon times and are now a scheduled Ancient Monument. The walls have been leased to Purbeck District Council by the Rempstone Estate since 1956.
The walls support a mosaic of habitats including grassland, woodland, scrub, swamp and fen communities. To manage the areas sensitively there are six different cutting regimes and specification to help manage this unique feature. These vary from six weekly cuts, to annual cuts in various locations around the walls.
Lowther Forestry Group in Partnership with Purbeck District Council and Wareham Town Council assist with the ground preparation activities for Wareham in Bloom. Wareham once again won the Gold in 2017 for the South and South East in Bloom Best Small Town.
