Landscape Maintenance 

Landscaping Management 

RTM Landscapes Ltd are our appointed landscape contractor who manage our parish owned land and our 5 allotment sites. RTM are a local company with a rapidly increasing reputation for excellent customer service, quality and value in providing landscape services. 
 
For parish owned land that is managed by RTM Landscapes Ltd please click map 1 here and map 2 here details on the landscaping specification, which should be read in conjunction with the maps, click here
 
NOTE: all the relevant allotment maps can be found on the top menu under Services-Allotments. 
 
If you have any questions, concerns or wish to give feedback on our landscaping management; please send us an email and we will respond to you at our earliest convenience. 

The Parks Trust 

Local charity The Parks Trust are responsible for the maintenance of many of our green-spaces in the parish, such as Broughton Brook Linear Park and Brooklands Meadow. For more information on these areas please head over to The Parks Trust website. 

Landscaping FAQs 

Q: Why have you thinned out the trees behind my property, making it less secure? 
A: A property's security is a matter for the occupier. Trees & shrubs outside your property’s boundaries should not be relied on as a security barrier. All our trees and shrubs are subject to a management program and from time to time we will often thin, coppice and remove trees where necessary. 
 
 
Q: A branch is overhanging onto my boundary, what can I do? 
A: We will deal with overhanging branches as part of our tree management program. However, its not always practical for us to respond immediately unless the overhanging branches are causing, or likely to cause damage. We would always encourage you to contact us to ascertain ownership of tree and whether the tree is protected. 
 
 
Q: Why are you cutting trees down? 
A: The main reason you may see our contractors (RTM) removing trees is when they become diseased or damaged. We do have a tree replacement program and any tree that is removed will be replaced, not necessarily in the same spot but somewhere suitable for the species chosen. 
 
 
Q: I can see you have cut down some trees and left some piles of logs, can I take them home? 
A: Our contractors have left the wood piles to provide habitat for insects, which in turn will provide food for a wide variety of animals, so if you see any dead wood lying around then we would like you to leave it exactly where it is. 
 
 
Q: What do I do if I have a concern about the type of work being carried out by your contractors? 
A: If you are concerned about any maintenance or landscape work being carried out in the parish, then please try and take a picture of the area of concern, and the contractor vehicle, and send it along to our team by using the contact details found here. 
 
Removal of poplar trees at Middleton Cricket Field. 

Recent Landscaping Work 

Middleton Playing Field boundary. 
 
Back in the Summer, RTM firstly installed a number of wooden bollards along the Worrelle Avenue edge of the playing fields. This was the first step in securing the land from unlawful encampments. Then we had to wait for cooler weather and some rainfall to soften the ground and they returned in December 2022 to plant 16 native trees to further secure the area. Eight Tilia cordata (lime) and eight Prunus Avium (Sweet Cherry) have now been planted. 
Poplar removal at Middleton.  
 
From this cross section of tree you can see the incredible amount of decay, that if left any longer would have proved the trees to be extremely unstable and a danger to public. 
 
Tree stump, decayed tree stump, damage to tree caused by moth larvae
This damage was caused by the Hornet Moth (Sesia apiformis) It's larvae burrow into the trunk of the tree before emerging as adults. See image below. 
Hornet moth holes, tree stump, damage to tree
Cherry Tree removal at MK Village. 
 
The decay in the centre of the stump is very clear to see. Cherry trees are not the longest living trees, and during our annual tree survey, both were found to have cankers and a combination of many things which contributed to their removal. These trees were subject to a Tree Preservation Order (TPO) of which we had to obtain planning permission from Milton Keynes Council before we could commence felling. We are currently assessing the area the trees were removed from before we go ahead with planting replacements. 
Tree stump, decay, rotting tree stump

The Parks Trust 

Oakgrove Developer Completes Transfer Of Green Spaces 
To The Parks Trust 
 
The parkland, ponds and play areas across the Oakgrove estate in Milton Keynes have now been transferred on a 999-year lease to The Parks Trust, the charity that cares for over 6,000 acres of the city’s green space. 
 
Over the past ten years, around 900 homes have been built at Oakgrove by developer, Crest Nicholson, who also created three play areas, a junior cycle track and a wetland habitat corridor that runs through the centre of the development. The transfer agreement means that these areas will benefit from the same high quality of management as those in older parts of the city that are under the charity’s care. 
 
Crest Nicholson also provided a one-off capital endowment payment to The Parks Trust which will be invested to provide the funds needed to look after the area in perpetuity, at no ongoing cost to residents. 
 
Commenting on the news, Phil Bowsher, Head of Environment at The Parks Trust, said: “Oakgrove’s landscape has been carefully designed to connect with, and extend, the Ouzel Valley Park and is the latest addition to our unique linear park system that runs through the city. The Parks Trust will undertake landscaping, maintenance and improvement work to ensure the play areas, ponds and habitats are always available to serve local people and provide opportunities for wildlife. 
 
“Ongoing, we continue to work with housing developers in Milton Keynes and support them with our local knowledge so that their designs for green spaces and play areas are suitable. We do this not only for the benefit of future residents and to sustainably expand the linear park system but also to protect and improve precious local biodiversity.” 
 
The Oakgrove areas now under the care of The Parks Trust are: 
 
- The children’s play areas at Harvard Way, Ferranti Place and Aiken Grange 
- The central habitat corridor that runs through the centre of the estate from the Aiken Grange Play Area to the Ouzel Valley Park 
- Green verges along the north side of Atlas Way 
 
Work has already commenced on the bike track that forms part of the Harvard Way play area and The Parks Trust hopes to open this for use by local residents by early 2023. 
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