Introducing Elmsbrook, Bicester, the fastest-growing eco-village in Europe and home to one of our Smarter Services grounds maintenance contracts.
Here at Smarter Services, we look after over 300 sites, and last April, we took charge of this incredible and ground-breaking home development site as part of our contract with A2Dominion, which is the first phase of NW Bicester eco-town.
From outdoor gyms and wildflower areas to a forest school project, community veg patch, sensory garden and even an electric car club, this unique site is made up of many parts which work towards the largest true zero carbon development in the UK.
Celebrating community
Ross Sudder, who heads up our grounds maintenance service, has grown this area of our business to support not only the outdoor spaces at Elmsbrook but also to incorporate local community initiatives.
Speaking about our work at Elmsbrook, Ross said:
“Elmsbrook is the first eco-village I have been involved in within my 19 years in grounds maintenance. A development like this makes you think differently. There are so many aspects to think about, one of which is the disposal of green waste. Green waste is something every ground maintenance company has to deal with; most of the time, this goes straight to landfill. This got me thinking about how we could change our way of disposal.
“Within our compound, we now compost all our green waste. Once composted, we utilise this on-site, which is not only an effective way to introduce organic material, but we are also doing our part to help reduce the carbon footprint by not transporting the material off-site.”
Future-proofing
Alongside this, we are always looking at new initiatives and ways to support the environment. Ross said about our future plans,
“I am currently seeking funding for several greenhouses. This will allow us to grow plants and flowers from cuttings taken from the site and replant them within the development. It’s just another small adjustment to help lower our carbon footprint.
“Moving forward, I am looking into only using battery-powered tools and vans. My aim is within two years for Smarter Services to be 90% eco-friendly within Elmsbrook.”
Since we started maintaining the grounds at Elsmbrook in April 2021, we have introduced new wildflower areas to attract more wildlife. A recent community day saw us working with the residents to plant over 90 small native saplings.
Needless to say, we are extremely excited about the future at Elsmbrook!
To find out how we can support your grounds maintenance needs, contact us today.
