Hosted at the Pro Landscaper Business Theatre at FutureScape, industry associations gathered for a photo opportunity marking the collaborative efforts to utilise the paving British Standard across the industry.

The British Association of Landscape Institutes (BALI), the Landscape Institute (LI), the Association of Professional Landscapers (APL) and the Society of Garden + Landscape Designers (SGLD) sat together on Wednesday 8 October to celebrate the union.

Philip Tremayne, general manager of the APL, explains “the industry has cried out for a British standard that is for what we consider to be domestic paving and domestic landscaping”. 

With a new paving standard that covers traffic categories which includes patios and driveways feels “groundbreaking,” says Tremayne, “which can set us on the pathway where we can be potentially recognised as a profession”.

However, explains Tremayne, “the only way we can do that and to show the government what should happen is for all the associations to be collaboratively behind it”.

Tremayne invited Dave Strows, chair of the APL, Carolin Ghöler from the LI, Wayne Grills, chief executive of BALI and John Wyer, vice chair and treasurer from the SGLD to join him for the photo opportunity at FutureScape in London. Tremayne explains:

“This is to demonstrate to the industry that we are all behind this and we are all working towards what will hopefully be a better profession.”

The associations will get together and plan training for members in order to understand what the new standard means across the industry, for domestic landscapers in particular.