Gardens

[malcolm22]

Anyone know the 'rules' on gardens in new houses? I'm a keen gardener in a new house, and the soil is about 6' deep - packed hardcore after that (needs a pick axe to break it up) and heaven knows how how deep that goes. The soil is heavy (and I mean heavy) clay, probably subsoil (no worms, weeds, or anything).
What are my rights?
I know this is an odd topic fot a snagging forum, but the garden is very important to me!
Spring, and the planting season approaches.......:S

[willyj]

Gardens up to 20m from the house are covered in NHBC Standards Chapter 9.
'GARDEN AREAS
(up to 20m from the habitable parts of the home)
9.2 - S5 Garden areas shall be free from
obstructions beneath the surface
Old foundations, concrete bases and similar
obstructions occurring within 300mm of the finished
ground surface should be removed.
9.2 - S6 Garden areas shall be adequately
prepared for cultivation
Construction rubbish and debris should be removed
from garden and other areas around the home.
The ground around the home can be compacted by
machinery and storage of materials during
construction as well as when topsoil is being replaced
and this can affect the structure of the soil and its
draining capability. Where this occurs within 3m of
the home appropriate action should be taken to
suitably restore the drainage characteristics of the soil.
Any ground disturbed during construction should be
re-graded to conform to the general shape of the
adjacent ground.
Subsoil should not be placed over topsoil and any
topsoil disturbed should be reinstated. Garden areas
should be provided with topsoil to a thickness of not
less than 100mm. The topsoil should not contain
contaminants which are likely to present a hazard to
users of the garden area.'
BS 3882 and the Contaminated Land Exposure Assessment (CLEA)guidelines provide advice on determining the
suitability of topsoil.

[malcolm22]

Thanks for the information. I've tried looking through some other websites, following some of the threads you provided, and I'm getting even more confused.
Is compacted hardcore unacceptable because it was not the original subsoil?
Not sure how I proceed on this one, as 100mm of topsoil as specified seems pretty inadequate to me, particularly if it's on hardcore.
Does compacted hardcore constitute construction waste? Or can it be described as 'subsoil'?
I'm living in the middle of the construction site (all low rise housing), and the way they treat soil here is apalling - mixing large mud 'pies' would be the best description.
I've tried to dig some of the soil in the front garden (initially covered by turf by the builders, then turf removed two weeks later for landscape planting). It's dreadful stuff, does not behave at all like soil - hard to describe, but even the landscapers seem to have given up trying to infill soil properly around the plants.
I have watched the builders remove a couple of feet of earth from other house plots, then replace it with the same depth of hardcore. Does the earth have greater value than hardcore?
Help!

[fabianZ]

Thanks for the detailed post, willyj. I think that's a very complex topic. Probably the best thing to do is to contact the local administration and tell them about your plans.