This is an appeal on behalf of all the landscaping and horticulture businesses, and homeowners, in the United Kingdom - URGENT ACTION IS REQUIRED NOW!
There looms a crisis for the landscape and horticulture industry that is potentially more devastating than the credit crunch and the big freeze put together. If we don't act immediately and cannot find a solution, many SME's will suffer. The knock-on effect could also have a severe impact because many of the the major suppliers are reliant on the small to medium sized businesses for too.
Whether you are a business supplying to, directly involved in landscaping or horticulture or a consumer having or planning to have work in your garden, you can help lobby the water companies to relax the hosepipe ban for newly laid lawns and planting schemes.
We not only want, as professionals, to be able to continue trading during drought conditions, we also want our clients to be able to protect their investment for a reasonable time after any work they may have done.
We don't believe our request is selfish or unreasonable either. The domestic garden market alone is worth over £5billion to the UK economy each year. Not only that, our work helps to create and protect vital ecologies for insects and wildlife, without which our environment may suffer further.
Please help us by modifying the letter below and sending it to your water utility supplier (see a full list of suppliers here) before 21 March 2012.
[starts]
Representation about the Temporary Use Ban NoticeWhist I understand the need for a hosepipe ban to help reduce water use in this time of drought, I am writing to appeal for any discretion for the hundreds of small businesses such as mine that will be seriously affected by the blanket ban.
I am a garden designer [modify accordingly] and I work with a number of landscapers on domestic projects in London. We have a number of projects planned for this spring that involve new planting and turfing. I would like to appeal for a discretionary period for new gardens to allow watering with a hosepipe until plants (and lawns) have had some time to establish e.g. 4-6 weeks.
Established gardens can cope better in drought conditions as the plants have already developed good root systems. Established lawns may go brown - but will come back. However, this is not the case with new plantings (even drought-tolerant plants) and lawns: without adequate and regular water in the early weeks, the risk is they may fail. We cannot rely on rainfall and need to be able to water new garden installations adequately in dry weather. This would simply not be feasible to do with a watering can beyond a few square meters.
My business depends on me being able to create and plant new gardens - this is how I earn my living. If I (and my clients) cannot adequately water a new garden in the first few weeks, then this will have a serious impact on my business.
In the short term, new plantings may fail and projects will need to be postponed. In the medium and longer term (as the hosepipe ban is currently indefinite), I cannot advise my clients to proceed with new projects involving new planting and lawns - and anticipate that many potential clients will decide not to go ahead with garden works this year. In short, the potential loss of income as a direct result of the blanket ban will be devastating for small businesses like mine.
I practice and advocate good water management in gardens, always digging in plenty of organic matter into the soil before planting to help retain moisture, and mulching after planting. My designs ensure as much rain water reaches the ground as possible, and where there is impermeable paving, that the run-off is directed into the planted areas. I have advised clients to invest in water butts etc and I understand that drip or trickle irrigation system (fitted with a pressure reducing valve and a timer) may be possible to use.
I generally avoid planting in mid-summer, but the blanket ban imposed this early in the year will have a seriously damaging affect on the projects planned this spring - and if the ban continues indefinitely, for projects which could normally be planted in autumn. So, I am appealing for some discretion or leniency for a limited period to be granted in the case of new garden installations. Without this, many small businesses and livelihoods are at risk.
I do hope you will consider this matter seriously and I look forward to your response.
[ends]
List of all water companies and their contact details:
Albion Water
Albion Water Ltd
Head Office Address:
71 Clarence Road
Teddington
Middlesex TW11 0BN
Phone: +44(0)20 8977 3055
Fax: +44(0)20 8977 3185
http://www.albionwater.co.uk/
Independent Water Networks
Independent Water Networks Ltd
Head Office Address:
Ocean Park House
East Tyndall Street
Cardiff CF24 5GT
Phone: +44 (0)845 051 1650
Fax: +44 (0)871 429 0589
http://www.iwnl.co.uk/
SSE Water
SSE Water Ltd
Head Office Address:
55 Vastern Road
Reading RG1 8BU
Phone: +44 (0)118 958 0100
Fax: +44 (0)118 953 4028
http://www.sse.com/SSEInternet/index.aspx?rightColHeader=24&id=18688
Peel Water Networks
Peel Water Networks
Peel Dome
The Trafford Centre
M17 8PL
Phone: 0161 629 8200
Fax: 0161 629 8332
http://www.peel.co.uk/
Veolia Water Projects
Veolia Water Projects
Kings Place
90 York Way
Fifth Floor
London
N1 9AG
General enquiries: 0207 843 8500
Fax: 0207 843 8560
http://www.veoliawater.co.uk/
Water companies' contact details
Anglian Water (including Hartlepool)
Anglian Water Services Ltd
Head Office Address:
Anglian House
Ambury Road
Huntingdon PE29 3NZ
Phone: +44 (0)1480 323 000
Fax: +44 (0)1480 323 115
http://www.anglianwater.co.uk/
Bristol Water
Bristol Water plc
Head Office Address:
PO Box 218
Bridgwater Road
Bristol BS99 7AU
Phone: +44(0)117 966 5881
Fax: +44(0)117 963 4576
http://www.bristolwater.co.uk/
Cambridge
Cambridge Water Company plc
Head Office Address:
90 Fulbourn Road
Cambridge, CB1 9JN
Phone: +44(0) 1223 706050
Fax: +44(0)1223 214 052
http://www.cambridge-water.co.uk/
Cholderton & District
Cholderton & District Water Company Ltd
Head Office Address:
Estate Office
Cholderton
Salisbury
Wiltshire SP4 0DR
Phone: +44(0)1980 629 203
Fax: +44(0)1980 629 307
http://www.choldertonwater.co.uk/
Dee Valley
Dee Valley Water plc
Head Office Address:
Packsaddle
Wrexham Road
Rhostyllen
Wrexham
Clwyd
North Wales LL14 4EH
Phone: +44(0)1978 846 946
Fax: +44(0)1978 846 888
http://www.deevalleywater.co.uk/
Dŵr Cymru
Dŵr Cymru Cyfyngedig (Welsh Water)
Head Office Address:
Pentwyn Road
Nelson
Treharris
Mid Glamorgan CF46 6LY
Phone: +44(0)1443 452 300
Fax: +44(0)1443 452 323
http://www.dwrcymru.co.uk/
Northumbrian Water (including Essex & Suffolk)
Northumbrian Water Ltd
Head Office Address:
Abbey Road
Pity Me
Durham DH1 5FJ
Phone: +44(0)8706 084820
Fax: +44(0)191 384 1920
http://www.nwl.co.uk/
Portsmouth
Portsmouth Water plc
Head Office Address:
PO Box 8
West Street
Havant
Hants PO9 1LG
Phone: +44(0)23 9249 9888
Fax: +44(0)23 9245 3632
http://www.portsmouthwater.co.uk/
Sembcorp Bournemouth Water
Sembcorp Bournemouth Water Ltd (formerly Bournemouth & West Hampshire Water plc)
Head Office Address:
George Jessel House
Francis Avenue
Bournemouth BH11 8NX
Phone: +44(0)1202 591 111
Fax: +44(0)1202 597 022
http://www.sembcorpbw.co.uk/
Severn Trent Water
Severn Trent Water Ltd
Severn Trent Water
Severn Trent Centre
2 St Johns Street
Coventry
CV1 2LZ
Phone: +44(0)24 7771 5000
http://www.stwater.co.uk/
South East Water
South East Water Ltd
Head Office Address:
Rockfort Road
Snodland
Kent
ME6 5AH
Phone: +44(0)845 223 5111
Fax: +44 (0) 1634 242 764
http://www.southeastwater.co.uk
Southern Water
Southern Water Services Ltd
Head Office Address:
Southern House
Yeoman Road
Worthing
Sussex BN13 3NX
Phone: +44(0)1903 264 444
Fax: +44(0)1903 262 185
http://www.southernwater.co.uk/
South Staffs Water
South Staffordshire Water plc
Head Office Address:
Green Lane
Walsall
West Midlands WS2 7PD
Phone: +44(0)1922 638 282
Fax: +44(0)1922 723 631
http://www.south-staffs-water.co.uk/
South West Water
South West Water Ltd
Head Office Address:
Peninsula House
Rydon Lane
Exeter EX2 7HR
Phone: +44(0)1392 446 688
Fax: +44(0)1392 434 966
http://www.southwestwater.co.uk/
Sutton & East Surrey
Sutton & East Surrey Water plc
Head Office Address:
London Road
Redhill
Surrey RH1 1LJ
Phone: +44(0)1737 772 000
Fax: +44(0)1737 766 807
http://www.waterplc.com/
Thames Water
Thames Water Utilities Ltd
Head Office Address:
Clearwater Court
Vastern Road
Reading RG1 8DB
Phone: 0845 9200 888
Fax: +44(0)1793 424 291
http://www.thameswater.co.uk/
United Utilities
United Utilities Water plc
Head Office Address:
Haweswater House
Lingley Mere Business Park
Lingley Green Avenue
Great Sankey
Warrington WA5 3LP
Phone: See http://www.unitedutilities.com/contacts.aspx for phone numbers
Fax: +44(0)1925 237 073
http://www.unitedutilities.com/
Veolia Central (formerly Three Valleys)
Veolia Water Central Ltd (formerly Three Valleys Water plc)
Head Office Address:
Tamblin Way
Hatfield
Hertfordshire AL10 9EZ
Phone: +44(0)1707 268 111
Fax: +44(0)1707 277 333
https://central.veoliawater.co.uk/index.aspx
Veolia East (formerly Tendring Hundred)
Veolia Water East Ltd (formerly Tendring Hundred Water Services Ltd)
Head Office Address:
Mill Hill
Manningtree
Essex CO11 2AZ
General and Billing Enquiries 0845 1489288
Payment Helpline 0845 1482911
Emergency 0845 1489299
Fax: +44(0)1206 399 210
https://east.veoliawater.co.uk/index.aspx
Veolia Southeast (formerly Folkestone & Dover)
Veolia Water Southeast Ltd (formerly Folkestone and Dover Water Services Ltd)
Head Office Address:
Cherry Garden Lane
Folkestone
Kent CT19 4QB
Phone: +44(0)1303 298 800
Fax: +44(0)1303 276 712
https://southeast.veoliawater.co.uk/index.aspx
Wessex Water
Wessex Water Services Ltd
Head Office Address:
Claverton Down Road
Claverton Down
Bath BA2 7WW
Phone: +44(0)1225 526 000
Fax: +44(0)1225 528 000
http://www.wessexwater.co.uk/
Yorkshire Water
Yorkshire Water Services Ltd
Head Office Address:
Western House
Western Way
Bradford BD6 2LZ
Phone: +44(0)1274 691 111
Fax: +44(0)1274 604 764
http://www.yorkshirewater.com/
The Landscaping, Arboricultural and Horticultural industries, the industries that can help mitigate against future droughts, which there will be, by ensuring grass and trees and plants will survive that prevent surface soil panning which would increase the effect of drought on water supply, must be given licence to water new growth that has been carried out due to development. The water companies should have invested into research re this, they should have already sat around a table with industry representatives to plan for this and there should have been governmental intervention to ensure all in the industry are aware of any and all methods to mitigate.
Posted by: Pip Howard | Mar 16, 2012 at 11:50 PM
I am totally in favour of stopping the hose pipe ban on companies whose livlihood depends on any sort of garden business. I agree that the water companies should have invested into research and planned ahead so we do not have to have hose pipe bans - this has been going on for years - are they incapable? It is not that long ago since we were being urged to plant a tree to help the environment - what is the point if we cannot water the trees to get them established? I have all ready lost one tree during the last hose pipe ban, so I am not very happy in helping the environment at the moment - but then neither are the Water Authorities, are they?
Posted by: Margie | May 29, 2012 at 05:40 PM