Regional Electrical Distribution Companies- Storm Resilience Tree Clearance Projects
We have completed initial surveys and then assumed the role of Project Manager for achieving storm resilience clearances of critical overhead electric line circuits on behalf of a regional electrical distribution company. We took responsibility for managing all elements of the job for our client including setting and managing budgets and costs and then management of the tree clearance teams for safety, quality, etc through to completion sign off and invoicing.
Our responsibilities entailed identifying all planning constraints during the survey stage and then making arrangements to resolve during the project management. Such constraints included arranging power outages, specialist kit, traffic management, rail possessions, gaining consents, assent and licences from statutory bodies as necessary.
Image 1 shows several spans of power line in a Nottinghamshire Country Park were mulched in order to manage the health and safety of the arb team due to the large volumes of hawthorn and blackthorn as well cost and productivity efficiency. We retained low growing scrub were possible to avoid a scorched earth approach in order to maintain as much habitat on site.
On a key circuit near to Loughborough, a row of poplars was felled under a felling licence that we obtained. There were over 30 large, mature trees that were well beyond the normal statutory safety clearances afforded to maintaining safe overhead power lines, so a felling licence was required. Despite the large clearances from the power lines, many of the trees were within falling distance and leaning towards the power lines and many trees had already failed on site (image 2 & 3), before, the remaining trees that were within falling distance were felled to ensure none could fall on the lines in future (image 4).
