Taking Care at the Crematorium

Working with Beard Construction, we recently completed soft landscaping works at the South Oxford Crematorium. The project constituted extending the current gardens and was the first of this kind for us, as we were carrying out works in an active crematorium.

The conditions posed a unique challenge and required us to adapt our site work and deliveries so as to not disrupt ongoing services. Operating at an active crematorium came with several unexpected hurdles. However, thanks to the help of Beard and the patience of the client, we were able to overcome these as a team and learn valuable lessons along the way.

 

 

The project included the planting of 77 trees, ornamental hedging, over 1,000 shrubs and bulbs, 1,160m² of turfing plus mulching. The work was undertaken over four months and we are now beginning our usual twelve-month period of maintenance.

Keep an eye open for new posts about this site once our planting has had time to establish and flourish!  To discuss how we can take care of your next soft landscaping project please contact us.

 

Pandemics Affect Trees Too

Using British Trees is Best

In the same way that the Coronavirus pandemic has been sweeping the country recently, our tree population is also in peril as a result of pandemics introduced from abroad.  Almost twenty serious tree diseases have arrived in the UK since 1990.  Most of these are now having a significant impact on our tree and plant population.

The Woodland Trust has reported that trees in the UK are being threatened with foreign diseases caused by a huge increase in low cost imported trees.  Sourced from abroad, particularly from Southern Europe where they can be grown faster, thanks to the climate, and so cheaper, these trees may save money but there is a big long-term cost.

 

 

Between 2010 and 2012, the UK imported over one million ash trees.  The Dieback disease is thought to have arrived in this way and is now expected to eventually kill over 100 million ash trees in the UK.  The importation was banned in October 2012, but it was too late and the clean-up cost is now estimated to be over £15 billion.

In a similar situation, in 2019 Processionary Moth, which not only damages oak trees but is also harmful to human health, was also missed and imported more than 70 times into the UK.  In addition, a new tree disease called Phytophthora Pluvialis, which affects a variety of trees including firs, has recently been found in Cornwall.  It is not yet known how this has arrived in the UK but is another reminder of the vulnerability of the UK’s trees to deadly pests and diseases.

The message is definitely that it is best to buy British trees and to plant a variety on any project, so that disease may not affect all of those within a scheme.  Indeed, trees must grow and survive to maturity, when their carbon-absorbing capacities are most effective.

Wherever possible, we seek to use British trees in schemes and would almost always recommend them. Using lower-cost imported trees can make initial savings but there are long-term costs. For further advice please browse our website or contact us to discuss your next soft landscaping project.

 

Re-Landscaped Website

Improved Representation of Who We Are and What We Do

Panoramic has evolved a great deal since our launch just a few years ago and grown significantly since then. We have now taken the opportunity to re-landscape our website and make it much more appropriate to the services we now offer.

 

 

Panoramic now wholly specialise in soft landscaping for new build and refurbishment construction projects. Our updated website completely reflects this with a focus on our main services including turfing, seeding, planting and tree installations.

The new site gives you more background about Panoramic and who we are. It also includes details of our standard 12-month ongoing maintenance contracts, that we provide following the completion of most projects.

Please take a look and see how we have re-laid and planted our new website.

 

On Station At Battersea

Power Planting

We recently completed a project at Battersea for Blu 3 as part of the Battersea Power Station regeneration.

Having stood derelict for many years the power station and surrounding area is undergoing a £9 billion transformation. The new development includes offices, retail and residential plus a new underground station for easy access.

 

 

We planted 21 trees and 1,200 plants. The project included the supply and spread of sub and topsoil. Also the installation of structural cells, irrigation, anchor system and root barrier to the tree pits, in which we planted 16 x 45-50cm girth Quercus Palustris and 5 x Betula Utilis Jacquemontii trees at the entrance of the development.

We completed the job in July and have now commenced our ongoing maintenance package to maintain the site over the next 12 months.

To get the power of Panoramic behind your soft landscaping, please call 0203 026 2089.

 

Staying on Spec

We Only Cut Turf Not Corners

When bringing your landscape project to fruition, we always complete the installation to your specification. We will not cut corners by using lower specification materials and will only use the best trees and plants.

Our intention with any project is that the grass, trees and plants will thrive. Indeed, that is why we offer on almost every installation a 12-month maintenance period to ensure that the planting not only survives but also Becomes established for the long term.

 

 

We not only stick to the spec but we also use quality topsoil and turf, plants and trees from reputable growers to ensure that the green areas surrounding your building or development meet the clients’ and architects’/ specifiers’ expectations.

Taking care to prepare the ground and provide the quality of the soil and strong basis for turf, grass seed, plants and trees to survive is paramount. There are significant benefits to quality landscaping in a development, especially in urban areas, and we both respect and encourage this.

We will only make changes to the specification when requested by the client or their representatives, or sometimes suggested by ourselves, always again to benefit the overall effect.

For soft landscaping that stays on spec and fulfils your expectations, please contact us to discuss your requirements.

 

Panoramic Propels Forward

Newly Appointed Contracts Manager

We are delighted to introduce the newest member of the Panoramic Landscape team, Michal Kurek. Michal has joined us as a Contracts Manager and will form part of our operational management team.

 

 

Michal has worked with individuals within the Panoramic cohort previously and therefore it is to the delight of many that he is now part of the team. He brings to the table years of knowledge with extensive hands-on soft landscaping and horticulture experience.

We have decided to bring Michal into the company to help assist with existing operations. We have continued to grow extensively and so to ensure we provide the same high-quality level of service our clients have come to expect, we must also grow within.

The past three months has seen Panoramic secure large volumes of work which has further propelled the company’s growth and so we welcome Michal to help manage the additional contracts.

 

Smart Self Storage Project in Streatham

Six Thousand Shrubs and Hedging Plants Installed

We have completed a project to landscape a smart new self-storage facility in a prominent location on Streatham High Road in South London.

 

 

We planted nearly six thousand shrubs and hedging plants and installed twenty-two trees plus supplied and spread the associated topsoil.

We started on site at the end of March for the initial phase. After a few weeks break in the middle of the project, from our soft landscaping perspective, we returned towards the end of June and carried through to completion in the middle of July.

We will be undertaking maintenance on this project through the next twelve months to ensure the site is kept looking great and that the trees and plants grow and thrive.

The project was our second for Harmonix Construction and we look forward to further work with them. For a quotation on your next soft landscaping project please call us on 0203 026 2089 or use our contact form.

 

Growing Our Team From Within

We are delighted to be promoting one of our operatives to the post of Trainee Foreman. It’s nice to be providing opportunities to our team members as we grow.

 

 

Introducing Eri, the newest member of our supervisory team. Eri has proven his commitment to delivering quality and shown strengths in organisation and leadership working as an operative.  Due to his ongoing dedication to providing a high quality of work to our clients, we are pleased to promote him to the post of Trainee Foreman.

Congratulations Eri and we look forward to the works you and your team will produce.

Annual Supervisor / Foreman Conference

 

Annual Supervisor / Foreman Conference

This week, we held an important team meeting at the Marriott Hotel in Kensington, London. It was the perfect chance for us to get together as one unit and share the complete company journey from start to finish.

We are a growing team and not everyone in the office were completely aware of what the supervisor/foreman do and vice versa. This communication meeting allowed us to showcase the roles of the various teams. Also, the steps involved in securing a job, ordering materials, etc, before anyone arrives on-site and begins work.

 

 

We spent the rest of our time together discussing health and safety, RAMS (Risk Assessment Method Statement) and compliance, as well as the company image that we want to portray and how we can continue to uphold the excellent service we provide. A highly productive meeting all round.

Phillip Hilbeck, Founder and Director of Panoramic thanked the team for their continued hard work over the past 18 months. Their combined efforts in helping to grow the company and make it a success.

 

First For First Aid

 

A number of our site foremen have recently completed comprehensive first aid training.  Congratulations to all for passing the course and receiving their certificates.

The Level 3 First Aid at Work course was delivered by Freedom Leisure Training and is accredited by First Aid Awards. The course qualifies the attendees as a First Aider, enabling them to deal with an accident or injury in the workplace and provides them with the knowledge to identify a variety of possible illnesses and injuries, including assessing the need to seek further medical attention.

 

 

The syllabus laid out by First Aid Awards covers a wide range of topics including the principles of first aid, legal requirements, CPR (resuscitation), treatment for shock, heart attacks, head injuries, spinal injuries, fractures, burns, soft tissue injuries, heat-related illnesses, poisoning, seizures, asthma, allergic reactions and eye injuries.

The qualification meets the requirements of the Health and Safety Regulations (First Aid) 1981 and the Health and Safety (First Aid) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1982. The qualification was delivered and assessed in accordance with current Resuscitation Council UK guidelines and is valid for three years.