Ash Landscaping has been landscaping in Cheshire since 1989. Run by Colin Ash, we've spent the last few years working directly with nationwide development companies, delivering soft landscaping and groundworks for their retail parks, commercial units and larger residential schemes here in Cheshire and the North West.
If you need shrubs, trees, turf, wildflower meadow, rewilding, ground clearance, ground landscaping or ponds specified and delivered as part of a soft landscaping package, we can quote for it — and deliver it, on your programme, with the paperwork your site needs.
Plant, machine capability & site compliance
We hold NPORS certification across a full range of 360 excavators, from micro machines up to 10 tonne, plus swivel tip dumpers — meaning we can move onto almost any site and operate the plant your groundworks need, without relying on hired-in operators.
Every commercial project is backed by RAMS (Risk Assessment and Method Statement) documentation as standard, and we hold the health & safety certification needed to work on regulated construction sites alongside main contractors and other trades.
One contractor, full scope
Rather than splitting a soft landscaping package across several subcontractors, Ash Landscaping can take on the groundworks, drainage, planting and turf as a single scope — reducing the number of interfaces on your programme and the risk that comes with them. Where a project needs specific expertise beyond general landscaping, we bring in our established network:
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An RHS-affiliated horticulturist for detailed planting schedules and specialist planting
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Specialist tree surgeons for tree works, felling and arboricultural requirements
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Weed control specialists for invasive or problem species
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Habitat specialists, for projects with ecology, biodiversity or rewilding requirements
How we work with developers
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Enquiry & scope review — send drawings, specifications or a planting schedule and we'll come back with a competitive quote
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Site visit where required, to confirm access, ground conditions and programme
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RAMS and site documentation provided ahead of mobilisation
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Delivery to your construction programme, with NPORS-certified operators and the right plant for the job
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Aftercare and maintenance packages available where a scheme needs ongoing management
Groundworks & Plant Operations: From Micro Sites to Multi-Acre Schemes
Every soft landscaping scheme starts with the ground. We provide NPORS-certified plant operations covering the full range a landscaping or site clearance package typically needs — from tight, restricted-access areas up to larger-scale reprofiling.
Plant & certification
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360 excavators, micro through to 10 tonne, NPORS certified
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Swivel tip dumpers, NPORS certified
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Suitable for small projects and large-scale schemes alike
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Full RAMS provided ahead of mobilisation
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Experience working within main contractors' site rules and inductions on live developments
Typical scopes
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Ground clearance and site strip
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Cut and fill, levelling and reprofiling ahead of planting
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Excavation for drainage, ponds and attenuation features
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Access track and haul road formation for soft landscaping teams
Sustainable Drainage (SuDS) for Developments:
Drainage That Puts Water Back Where It Belongs
Modern developments are increasingly expected to manage surface water sustainably rather than simply piping it away — reducing the load on local sewers, watercourses and flood infrastructure. It's an approach Ash Landscaping has practised for over thirty years, long before it had a name.
Rather than defaulting to pipework connected into surface water or foul systems, we build French drains and soakaways that return water into the ground itself. It's a technique with a genuine track record — including on sites where a previous contractor's drainage had already failed — and it typically costs considerably less than a fully piped solution tied into the mains network.
Where this fits on a development
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Soft landscaping margins, verges and amenity areas around retail units and car parks
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Planted buffer strips and boundary landscaping
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Ground preparation feeding into swales, attenuation basins and rain gardens designed by your drainage engineer
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Remedial drainage where existing landscaped areas are waterlogging or failing
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Biodiversity Net Gain & Habitat Creation: Landscaping That Delivers on Net Gain
Most new developments in England are now required to deliver a measurable biodiversity net gain — creating or improving habitat on site, rather than simply replacing what was there before. Meeting that requirement on paper is one thing; actually delivering the planting, meadow creation and habitat works on the ground is another, and that's where we come in.
We work alongside your ecologist or habitat consultant to deliver the on-site works a biodiversity net gain plan calls for — from native hedgerow and tree planting through to wildflower meadow establishment and habitat pond creation.
What we deliver on site
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Native and pollinator-friendly planting schemes
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Wildflower meadow sowing and establishment
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Hedgerow and woodland-edge planting
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Habitat ponds and wetland margins
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Ground clearance and preparation for rewilding or habitat creation areas
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Ongoing maintenance to keep habitat areas performing as designed
Backed by specialist input
For projects with specific ecological requirements, we bring in our network of habitat specialists alongside our RHS-affiliated horticulturist, so the planting is right for the site's soil and conditions as well as its biodiversity targets.
Wildflower Meadows, Rewilding & Ground Clearance: Done Properly
A well-established wildflower meadow does two jobs at once for a developer or estate manager: it looks good, and it costs far less to maintain long-term than mown amenity grass. We clear, prepare and sow wildflower meadow and rewilding schemes on everything from site margins and landscaping buffers to larger areas of unused or transitional land.
Services
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Ground clearance and site preparation
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Wildflower meadow seed selection and sowing
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Rewilding schemes for larger areas of land
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Low-maintenance amenity planting for site margins and buffers around retail and commercial units
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Establishment maintenance through the first growing seasons
Good for the site, good for the budget
Wildflower and rewilded areas typically need a fraction of the ongoing maintenance of mown grass or formal planting — a genuine advantage for estate managers looking to control long-term landscaping costs across a retail or commercial site.
Accreditations, Health & Safety: Certified, Compliant, and Built for Live Sites
Working on commercial developments means meeting the same site standards as every other trade on the job — and Ash Landscaping is set up to do exactly that, on projects of any scale.
Plant operator certification
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NPORS certified — 360 excavators, micro through to 10 tonne
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NPORS certified — swivel tip dumpers
Health, safety & site documentation
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RAMS (Risk Assessment and Method Statement) provided as standard for every commercial project
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Relevant health & safety certification held for site access and induction
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Established experience working within main contractors' site rules on live, occupied and multi-trade developments
Insurance
Ash Landscaping carries public liability insurance to a level appropriate for commercial and developer projects.
Frequently asked questions
What we deliver
Every soft landscaping scheme starts with the ground. We hold NPORS certification across a full range of 360 excavators — from micro machines up to 10 tonne — plus swivel tip dumpers, covering everything from tight, restricted-access sites to larger-scale reprofiling. Full RAMS is provided ahead of mobilisation, and we're experienced working within main contractors' site rules on live developments.
Rather than defaulting to pipework connected into surface water or foul systems, we build French drains and soakaways that return water into the ground itself — a technique with a genuine track record, including on sites where a previous contractor's drainage had already failed. It typically costs considerably less than a fully piped solution tied into the mains network.
Most new developments are now required to deliver a measurable biodiversity net gain on site. We work alongside your ecologist or habitat consultant to deliver the on-site works that requirement calls for — native and pollinator-friendly planting, wildflower meadow establishment, hedgerow planting and habitat ponds — backed by our RHS-affiliated horticulturist and specialist habitat network.
A well-established wildflower meadow looks good and costs far less to maintain long-term than mown amenity grass. We clear, prepare and sow wildflower meadow and rewilding schemes on everything from site margins and landscaping buffers to larger areas of unused or transitional land — low-maintenance amenity planting that keeps long-term costs down for estate managers.
Working on commercial developments means meeting the same site standards as every other trade on the job. We hold NPORS certification for 360 excavators and swivel tip dumpers, provide RAMS as standard for every commercial project, and carry public liability insurance to a level appropriate for developer work — with established experience on live, multi-trade sites.