At 9.30 this morning Allan had arranged to meet with a technician from Essex and Suffolk Water at Cuppers Close. The reason for this is because two weeks earlier we very unluckily hit a waterpipe whilst excavating, something that has never happened before in our four year history during which we have planted in excess of one hundred trees.
Before any tree can be planted, a series of lengthy processes are undertaken, namely Research, Permission and Consultation. Allan spends a considerable amount of time researching the area for underground services like gas, electricity and clean water and then seeks permission from the landowner for those sites where no barriers are evident. Various maps, plans and other information is obtained from the utility companies and permission generally sought from Braintree District Council, although for Cuppers Close this was from Greenfields and subsequent approval from Witham Town Council. Resident consultation is also carried out where necessary.
The plans that we had for Cuppers Close showed the mains to be running underneath the path some 7 metres from where we were actually digging. So it was rather unlucky to hit the pipe and unfortunate that the plans were, in our experience somewhat misleading. Upon hitting the pipe, we immediately contacted Essex and Suffolk Water who came out that afternoon to take a look and the very next day to carry out repairs.
So back to Cuppers Close this morning, with the technician from Essex and Suffolk who was able to trace the water pipe using some rather high tech equipment that when making a sound (similar to a squirrel’s alarm call!) indicated no pipes underground whilst no sound indicated the opposite. He was very helpful and was able to spray the grass to show where the water pipe runs and thus where not to dig!
We were then able to plant three lovely trees, all beautifully in bud and raring to go; Sorbus Thuringiaca Fastigiata (Whitebeam), Acer Campestre ‘Louisa Redshine’ (Field Maple) and Crataegus Laevigata ‘Pauls Scarlet’ (Hawthorn). Despite our initial setbacks, planting went well and some very positive comments from one Cuppers Close resident were gratefully received.
Jane Noble
April 2019
