As the government continues with its ambitious targets for new build estates to accommodate the growing need for housing, surveying becomes an important part of ensuring that land is suitably assessed and set out. The success of these build projects depends on making sure that they meet customer demand and surveying can help by examining road layout, utility access and build density.
Utilities
Access to utilities is one of the most important parts of building a new estate, but it’s also important not to disturb those utilities while doing excavation works during construction. Before a build plan is set out, a utilities survey will be done to determine where access to utilities can be made. This saves the hassle of additional work of modifying plans to match utilities in the future.
Land surveys
If the estate is being built on repurposed land, the topography may look very different from when it was last surveyed. This is particularly true if there were buildings on it before that have been demolished and it’s back to the start. Determining the levels of the land through a survey is crucial to determining how the future development is laid out.
Setting out
Once the building plans are drafted, refined and approved, it is time for construction. But before construction can start, setting out often needs to be done. This ensures that all the properties are built where they are supposed to be. This is especially important in a wide scale project like a new estate where several properties will be built in close proximity to each other. If a mistake is made in how one property is laid out, it can have a knock on effect to other properties on the estate.
Assessing road access
Depending on the size and density of the estate, a survey may need to be conducted to assess road access. It is impossible to try and retrofit a solution for proper road access and traffic flow once all the properties are built. As always the safety of the people living in the homes is paramount, so understanding how vehicles will be entering, exiting and travelling through the estate will help determine where the roads should be put.
New build estates are an exciting project with many considerations that can be helped greatly by a qualified professional surveyor.
Got a construction project coming up? If you’re looking for a surveying firm with over 20 years experience, get in touch! (https://www.landform-surveys.co.uk/contact-us/)
