HW&Co have a wealth of experience in Landscape Led Masterplanning.

Working on a variety of sites including sites which serve 5,000 units, industrial sites and educational down to sites of 75 units plus in areas of special landscape character.

Our work in green belt, AONB and conservation areas has resulted in close working relationships with the design teams architect, planners and working proactively with the Council, Government bodies and the public.

HW&Co have worked on ‘Call for Sites’ Schemes across Canterbury, Maidstone, Swale, Medway, Folkestone & Hythe, Tunbridge Wells amongst others. Our landscape led process has resulted in several allocations and successful planning applications.

Hill-Wood & Co Chartered Landscape Architects - based in Kent.

Offering Landscape Design Solutions including Masterplanning, Landscape Architecture and Landscape Design across England.

Hill-Wood & Co is an expanding practice in the County Town of Kent.

With 15 years of experience in landscape architecture, construction, development, planning and inclusion of ecological and arboricultural practice.

We work on a variety of projects ranging from masterplanning of large strategic sites to small scale development, LVIA’s and LVA’s, Landscape Strategies through to Detailed Planting Plans with Biodiversity Enhancements.

We work for a number of SME’s, architects, planners, Councils and national house builders. Offering the service of a dedicated team to create positive developments which provide a landscape for now and for the future.

Hill-Wood & Co are a passionate team who offer their clients and all projects proactive foresight across landscape, ecological and arboricultural elements - ensuring areas of conflict are identified early on.

Working in unison across these services creates mutual benefit and gain. The outcome is a result where project schedules are met and budgets are closely adhered to. This includes Net Biodiversity Gain and Tree Surveys to BS5837:2012.

HW&Co’s approach to all projects is to ensure the clients brief is met, net biodiversity gain is achieved and the Governments White Bill is fulfilled.

We work with the intent of a collaborative approach to our process to tackle existing requirements and the future needs. Through this we can shape the public realm to create lively environments that contribute to people’s health, happiness and wellbeing.

The latest Government White Paper ‘Planning for the future’ is encouraging the development sector towards a greener environment. Our focus is to enhance the environment on site, its wider setting and the sustainability of the future.

LVIA and LVA assessments are becoming more commonplace in planning applications, with many councils asking for the assessment of a sites development proposals ‘visual and landscape impact’.

Our work follows the latest Landscape Institute Guidelines and Photography Assessment Information. We work alongside the design team to ensure the findings of the LVIA / LVA assessment are implemented into the development of the site layout plan.

We have prepared these assessments for pre-app meetings, planning applications, appeals and Environmental Impact Assessments.

We are also working with local teams preparing their Neighbourhood plans.

Landscape Strategies are widely prepared for pre-app meetings, planning applications and public consultations / presentations to members. It is an opportunity to show case the overall design concept and provide an illustrative site plan on how the proposed development will enhance and reinforce the sites character with the surrounding landscape, streetscape and character area.

Landscape strategies can also show how the findings and recommendations of the arboricultural report and ecology surveys have been implemented within the scheme, through mitigation or biodiversity enhancements / replacement planting.

The end result is an aesthetically pleasing, very green plan, highlighting the key objectives of the proposals whilst providing indicative information regarding the soft and hard landscape.

We offer landscape appraisals to assess how various factors including natural or economic affect the site in question.

It is a reduced version of an LVA and assess the sites, strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and constraints.

When we complete a site assessment, we visit the site to assess the following:

Stengths – if there is character or vistas to retain or an association with surrounding landscape character.

Weaknesses - any negatives towards the site such as unattractive buildings or anything out of character which need to be removed, replaced or mitigated against.

Opportunities - what can be retained, enhanced and developed.

Constraints – items to consider as restrictions such as service easements, build zones and flood risk.

Hill-Wood & Co are well informed, positive, creative and they deliver on their promises.

They support me on commercial and residential developments up to 2,000 dwellings, providing advice and technical work on constraints and opportunities.

Subject matters often include landscape, visual impact, ecology, arboriculture and PROW all of which they can bring together in doing master planning.

They are commercially and market aware, personable, professional and their work is well presented.

I am confident in recommending them.

Nick Yandle, Yandle Associates Ltd

We have created a wonderful client base over the years.

Some clients we have had the pleasure of working on multiple projects and so established a great relationship acting as part of their regular team.

We are always delighted to welcome new clients and project briefs. Please do not hesitate to get in touch - whether it is via a phone call, video call or in person.

It’s taken quite some time and many many frustrating years, but we have finally cracked it… we have found ourselves a Landscape consultant that is both responsive, reactive, proactive and efficient, both in communication as well as in their designs.

Lydia and her team are always our first point of call and neither we, or any of our clients, have ever been disappointed.

John Horace – Founder and Senior Partner Iconic Architects

A detailed planting plan provides the client with a specification drawing which can be used to discharge planning conditions, tender packs and implementation for contract staff on site.

They are drawings with the detailed specification of all soft landscape installations, including their height, girth, density and pot size.

A wide range of native species are proposed through tree planting all the way down to shrubs and bulbs. This will aid biodiversity on site and create a landscape scheme which is of local importance and reflects the landscape character.

Maintenance, longevity and impact, our key ethos when creating landscape in places of work.

Whether it is a destination ‘Coffee Drivethrough’, to an Industrial Park for supermarkets storage, the landscape has a positive impact on all users without having to cost a fortune, or require intensive management regimes.

We have prepared schemes for Shepherd Neame, Champneys, Next, Marks & Spencer, several National Commercial Retail Parks and Councils to name a few.

*some CGI images prepared by others

HW&Co have worked on a variety of schools, from new builds and expansions to regenerations. The brief is often varied and led by the principal.

All of our school work has been incredibly rewarding when the outcome has resulted in the next generations interaction with the landscape and nature.

Wildlife gardens, ‘grow your own’, reading gardens, outdoor classrooms and sensory schemes are frequently designed to encourage a range of interaction and educational facilities within the external landscape.

Rain gardens, ecological ponds, wetland habitats…

…We have done them all.

We will actively work alongside your civil engineers, architects and other design team members, to ensure a cost effective, biodiverse, low maintenance and aesthetically pleasing solution is designed into your scheme.

We have found Hill-Wood & Co to be very collaborative and flexible in their work.

This is always hugely beneficial as the overall design for a scheme progresses. Problems have been quickly met with imaginative solutions, whilst maintaining client budget and always with a delivery of great design.

Kenny Pratt – Project Surveyor – Betteridge & Milsom

With space at a premium we have designed a number of communal spaces and private gardens on rooftops / podiums.

We will work with your design team from the concept stages through to completion to ensure that the built structure is able to accommodate the weight of a saturated roof garden, and the plants installed provide maximum aesthetics to whom many will not realise the garden is on a deck!

We have worked on a number of schemes from private companies to Council owned developments for our older generation.

We have implemented schemes which are designed to assist dementia care and provide environments which allow residents to reflect on their younger days. This is designed through plant selection, site layout and the opportunities available within the external spaces.

Some developments have included outdoor exercise spaces, music and social courtyards, outdoor kitchen and dining and even the every day bus stop and postbox routes.

We are ready to fulfil your brief requirements to help our older community.

Our wealth of knowledge from public space design is just as applicable within private spaces, creating a result which is bespoke to any size home.

Large or small your garden should be like no other. For ideas, through to the overseeing of the installation - we can help.

Our training and experience is key to the fundamental design of any external space.

Our skills will ensure that the ‘user’ is at the fore to result in a design which leads your eye through a scheme and moves the users to the destinations where the vistas are best appreciated.

Once your garden masterplan is complete, a detailed garden design can be prepared.

This is the specification of the hard and soft landscape. It can be used for tendering, contract and long term management.

Liaising with the client team is vital to ensure the knowledge of our team results in a palette of plants and materials which works for your lifestyle and aesthetic preferences.

Standing out in the crowd.

We work closely with a number of trusted landscape installers who can dress your show home externally.

From trap systems to ‘selling the lifestyle’ we have it covered.

Every development is unique to that area and the landscape should be no different. The latest plants and design concepts are all covered to make your scheme pop and encourage those prospective buyers to take a look.

It is always a pleasure to work on a project with HW&Co because of the attention they pay to the finer details of each particular site and project.

They have shown an ability to tackle site specific issues that could otherwise pose a risk to development potential with unique solutions.

Their work is succinct, clear and beautifully presented and as a result they are always one of the first on our list of consultants on a project.

Nathan Anthony – Partner – Lee Evans

From public open spaces and parks, to residential developments offering LEAP’s and LAP’s.

Informal and natural play including ‘access for all’ schemes are designed within our office.

These play areas are often briefed to reflect the local character and history of a site or nearby town.

Creative play is encouraged with a mix of designed play equipment to more natural options through soil mounding and logs.

A number of our sites have progressed to the assessment of Biodiversity Net Gain.

To reach the Governments requirements of 10% net gain, we can work with you on site selection, development proposals and mitigation.

This can reduce any unexpected loss of developable area and ensure that the sites brought forward can achieve the governments requirements.

We have created a show garden for all existing and prospective clients to see.

A range of landscape treatments - hard and soft - have been incorporated to provide our clients on a physical example of plant growth, materiality combinations and patterns which create spatial permeability within any scheme.

Please drop us an email at admin@hwandco.co.uk for your private tour.