The demand for off-street car parking also resulted in a
construction has been the government’s championing of
significant loss of many front gardens and landscaped areas
BIM – or Building Information Modelling – for major public-
around offices, contributing to flooding, building subsidence,
funded construction projects. By incorporating information,
increased urban temperatures and a further degradation in
at the design stage, of every aspect of a project – including
urban quality of life. This state of affairs led to the development
landscape construction and maintenance – the project
of SuDS technology (Sustainable Drainage Systems) - now a
is designed holistically with every element taken into
ubiquitous feature of many hard landscaped public spaces
consideration from the outset and the ‘whole life’ of a project
- and an upsurge in the use of tools such as green roofs to
considered. This is shared with and available for interrogation
mitigate the impact of urban development, climate change,
by all project stakeholders and should avoid landscaping
and the effects of extreme weather events.
being the poor relation to construction and at the end of the
The Olympic Park, a project of unrivalled proportions in
queue when it comes to project budgets.
this country, certainly helped change the way in which
It has been the mission of the British Association of Landscape
landscaping was perceived on the wider stage, i.e. no longer as
Industries (BALI) since it was established back in 1972 to
secondary to the built environment but as critically important
professionalise the landscape industry. Back then its founding
to providing balance in an increasingly populous planet. The
fathers realised that if they didn’t do something about the
Town and Country Planning Association (TCPA) has been
industry’s ‘cowboy’ image they would be in no position to
leading a campaign for a new generation of garden cities as
capitalise on the country’s growing wealth and anticipated
part of a portfolio of solutions to meet the UK’s housing needs.
investment in green infrastructure. BALI’s success in achieving
In 2014 the UK government announced plans to create a new
this - by raising standards to the point where the UK landscape
garden city at Ebbsfleet on the Thames Estuary. Whilst the
industry is revered across the world - has outpaced policy
project has subsequently been beset with issues it now seems
makers’ actions in placing green infrastructure alongside the
that things are back on track and a new masterplan for the
built environment.
development is being created.
BALI, which has over 800 members that contribute an
Policy makers appear to be convinced of the importance of
estimated £5 billion to the country’s GDP, is acknowledged
green infrastructure to our health and wellbeing and the
as the voice of the landscaping industry. Contractors and
social cohesion of our urban communities but planners must
designers can only achieve BALI membership after successful
still battle for its inclusion in meaningful quantities in urban
completion of a stringent vetting procedure and must undergo
projects. If and when the government’s planned garden cities
a quality standards review at regular intervals thereafter to
are built, the ongoing maintenance of their public green space
ensure the association’s high standards of workmanship and
will be absolutely crucial if they are not to fall into a state of
service are maintained. Through its membership of ELCA -
neglect and cause more social problems than those they are
the European Landscape Contractors Association - BALI also
purported to address.
represents the UK landscaping industry’s interests in Europe
An interesting and positive development in the fight
to achieve an integrated approach to landscaping and
and its officers are regularly asked to present to the European
Parliament on proposed directives that would impact
businesses in the UK.