Over a quarter of UK houses are terraces, more than any other housing type[1]. Many of these were constructed in the late Victorian era to house factory and mill workers as people flocked to cities for work. This kind of housing is so prevalent in our cities that over half of UK homes are built in terraces or pairs[2]. These homes present challenges to modernisation, as they are situated on small plots with restricted access; often some form of a restrictive covenant or even no access at all.

The current rate of new home construction in the UK cannot keep pace with inner-city population growth[3]; not only are not enough houses being built, but space restrictions in inner cities also prevent new developments. A new home built today would have to last 1000 years at current replacement rates[4]. Without new housing, people in the UK will have to make the most of the existing housing stock.

Modern new-build housing presents similar access issues. Often constructed in short terraces of four or six houses and sold with basic lawns, these homes struggle to accommodate the larger machinery needed for big hard landscaping projects.

The UK has seen a rise in Outdoor Living trends over the last decade, as homeowners invest in making the most of their plots. This has been heightened by the COVID-19 pandemic, which saw the UK Landscape industry grow by 1.4% year on year between 2017 and 2022. Industry revenue is anticipated to rise by 5.2% in 2021-22 as trends continue[5].

How can homeowners in cramped, urban housing get in on the Outdoor Living trend?

A simple solution offered by Azpects Ltd is EASYClickBase, a synthetic sub-base that significantly reduces the traditional ‘dig-out’ part of the installation process for patios, paths, and driveways. Early feedback shows that for a 50m2 patio EASYClickBase requires an excavation of around 2-4 tonnes and just 2-5 tonnes of a fine replacement aggregate depending on site conditions. Traditionally, this would require the excavation of 16 tonnes of waste by-products, and the import of 16-20 tonnes of traditional subbase aggregates, requiring either heavy machinery or a significant amount of labour.

Several early adopters of EASYClickBase have reported trimming day’s labour off the expected completion time while giving their clients the garden they have always wanted.

EASYClickBase is lightweight and easy to carry, making it easy to install even with very restricted access. The reduced dig out makes wastage less of an issue for tight streets that lack space for a large skip, as smaller skip bags can be removed by a flatbed vehicle instead.

Manufactured from 100% recycled ABS plastic, any offcuts of EASYClickBase tiles can be recycled again, further reducing waste and improving the sustainability of hard landscaping projects.

If lockdown taught us anything, it is how important outdoor spaces are for our physical and mental wellbeing. With a significant percentage of the UK workforce expecting to continue to work from home at least part-time, it seems likely that investment in hard landscaping will only continue.

[1] The Housing Stock of the United Kingdom Report, BRE Trust (2020)

[2] The Housing Stock of the United Kingdom Report, BRE Trust (2020)

[3] Urbanisation Trends, Government Office for Science (Spring 2021)

[4] The Housing Stock of the United Kingdom Report, BRE Trust (2020)

[5] https://www.ibisworld.com/united-kingdom/market-research-reports/landscaping-services-industry/