Housebuilders face increasing pressure to create external communal spaces that are welcoming, sustainable, long-lasting and functional. Achieving all that, whilst also keeping costs down, is a difficult task. But with careful design and high-quality building products, it’s possible to create outdoor spaces that people enjoy now, and which they will continue to enjoy for years to come.
Tobermore’s collection of hard-landscaping products includes paving slabs, block paving, permeable paving, retaining walls and kerb edging, all designed to meet the needs of modern housing developments, including ease of maintenance and inclusivity whilst also creating the community feel that residents desire.
Hard landscaping: laying the foundation for success
Designing and constructing successful outdoor spaces begins with understanding what residents want. Communal spaces need to be inviting, accessible, safe and visually appealing.
Access to outdoor space has always been a priority for buyers, but its importance for physical and mental wellbeing has become more widely acknowledged since the 2020 Covid pandemic. Alongside this is a demand for closer-knit communities rather than just more homogenous housing developments.
Planning for accessibility is a fundamental consideration – wide paving, off-road parking and dropped kerbs will help to make spaces easier to navigate for wheelchair users and parents with pushchairs. Including plenty of seating areas will also make the areas more welcoming to older people and those looking for a place to rest or meet up for a chat.
Residents are becoming more aware of sustainability, so outdoor spaces need to support biodiversity, prevent pollution and be low carbon. Permeable paving, for example, can be an integral part of a sustainable urban drainage system (SuDS), helping to manage surface water, reduce flood risks and filter out pollutants.
Meanwhile, retaining walls can be used to prevent soil erosion and support planting areas, thereby helping to protect the natural ecosystem and enhance biodiversity.
At the Hawthorne Grove development in East Sussex, groundworks company O’Halloran and O’Brien used Tobermore’s Secura Portal to tender for the project’s retaining walls successfully. By upgrading from traditional masonry to Tobermore’s Secura Grand modular retaining wall system, they were able to build a high-quality, robust and sustainable retaining wall whilst also delivering cost savings.
John Willcox from O’Halloran and O’Brien explains: “ happy with the quality and price, and with the help of Tobermore, we were able to maximise our margins and deliver a stunning set of retaining walls.”
Maintaining hard landscaping for the future
Of course, the long-term viability of external communal spaces should be considered too. Residents want to be assured that the beautiful landscaping will still be just as attractive and inviting in 5, 10, 20 years or more – so that it continues to benefit the community and contribute to property values.
Developers must plan for the long-term sustainability and functionality of external communal spaces. Clearing away weeds, cleaning surfaces and making repairs all help to keep these spaces accessible, inviting and functional.
Craig McBride, Tobermore’s Technical and Product Training Manager, warns that planning for the long-term can be tricky – especially since, as time goes by, essential maintenance practices are forgotten or abandoned.
“If the homeowner doesn’t clear away leaves on a SuDS scheme, silt builds up in the joints and the bedding material and the system doesn’t perform how it’s designed to. Another homeowner might displace the greenery that’s part of a swale because they want additional parking. Suddenly, they’re getting puddles, and they don’t know why, and they blame the developer,” he explains, adding that designers need to think about end-users.
“To be successful long term, design and specifications need to be bulletproof, and that means specifying products and solutions that are simple and easy to maintain,” he says.
Request a Hard Landscape Proposal
To learn more about how Tobermore’s range of paving, retaining walls, facing bricks and kerb edging can help you build attractive, sustainable and cost-effective communal spaces in housing developments, get in touch to request a Hard Landscape Proposal or visit our dedicated housebuilder page.
Tobermore was founded in 1942 and is now one of the UK and Ireland’s leading manufacturers. It provides construction professionals and homeowners with high-quality landscaping and walling solutions that elevate outdoor spaces. As a result, its products are used to create the public realm in various settings, including housing developments, healthcare and education, as well as towns and city centres.
The company still promotes the family values on which it was founded. Its offices and manufacturing plant are based in Tobermore, Northern Ireland, and it employs over 400 people, mainly from the local area. Tobermore’s concrete products are made in the UK using aggregates from its own quarry, and it imports the best materials so customers can be satisfied with the quality and traceability of its products.
Its vision is to transform places and people through great products and great experiences. With a focus on customer satisfaction and simplicity, Tobermore makes hard landscaping easy through its reliable, innovative, and customer-centric approach.