Family Tree
Grounds Maintenance & Construction
Garden maintenance, patios, decking and fencing in Benson, from a family business about two miles south-west in Wallingford.
Benson is about two miles north-east of our base in Wallingford, and roughly nine minutes by road, so it’s close to home for us.
The village centre is in the Benson Conservation Area, and part of the parish is in the Chilterns National Landscape, so a few planning rules are worth knowing before you start. The work itself is the full range: patios, decking and garden builds; regular maintenance; and fencing and gates.
Patios · decking · garden builds
Patios, paths and decking, sleeper beds and brickwork, right up to a complete garden makeover. The centre of Benson is mapped on river sand and gravel, which typically drains freely; towards the river, the map shows Gault clay and alluvium instead.
More on constructionMowing · hedges · clearance
Grass cutting, hedges, weeding and clearing, either on a contract or as a one-off, and new lawns, whether turfed, seeded or artificial. Light, gravelly soils drain quickly after rain or watering, the RHS notes — worth bearing in mind with a new lawn.
More on garden maintenanceCloseboard · panels · gates
Garden and field fencing: closeboarding, panels, post and rail and gates. In the Benson Conservation Area, taking down an old fence, wall or gate may need permission. A new one up to two metres high — one metre next to a road — usually doesn’t.
More on fencingFrom Benson we also cover Ewelme to the east, Warborough to the north-west and Berrick Salome to the north.
Crowmarsh Gifford lies to the south and Berinsfield to the north-west, and our base in Wallingford is about two miles to the south-west.
Family tree did a mix of hard works ( Patio extension ) and soft planting for us as well as sourcing and installing a garden shed. So a wide variety of garden tasks. We now have a fabulous base for furniture and planted out boarders ready for the summer, the Family tree guys are extremely friendly and also extremely conscientious of getting the foundations just right so our patio is perfectly flat and level just what we wanted, thanks guys.
Thank you Jamie at Family Tree. Another excellent job by Joe and Thomas. Cheerful and efficient. As always, listened to what we what we wanted and worked out with us how to get it done. Thoroughly recommended.
Excellent fencing project completed by Family Tree GMC - I have no hesitation in recommending their services. Punctuality, Quality, Professionalism
River gravel · Upper Greensand · Gault clay
Benson is mapped on river sand and gravel — the Summertown-Radley terrace — over Upper Greensand. Ground like this typically drains freely.
On the river side, to the west, Gault clay and river alluvium are mapped within half a kilometre; expect heavier, slower-draining soil there. Soil can change markedly over a short distance, so two gardens in the same village can behave quite differently.
Benson Conservation Area · Chilterns (part of the parish)
The village centre is in the Benson Conservation Area, and the Preston Crowmarsh Conservation Area is about half a kilometre away. Inside a conservation area, you need to give the council six weeks’ notice before tree work (unless the trunk is under 75 mm across, 1.5 m above the ground), and demolishing a boundary fence, wall or gate may need permission first. It also counts as designated land, so an outbuilding at the side of a house needs planning permission.
Benson itself is outside any National Landscape, but about 29% of the parish is in the Chilterns National Landscape. At addresses there, anything built more than 20 metres from the house — sheds, enclosures, even a pool — is capped at 10 square metres in total without planning permission.
Sources: British Geological Survey, Natural England and planning.data.gov.uk (open data); the Planning Portal, GOV.UK and the RHS. The Planning Portal is a guide — your council has the final word for your address.
Yes. Benson is about two miles from where we’re based in Wallingford — roughly nine minutes by road. Ring or WhatsApp 07736 650477 to talk it through.
Yes — the centre of the village is in the Benson Conservation Area. That means six weeks’ notice to South Oxfordshire District Council before most tree work, and demolishing a boundary fence, wall or gate may need permission first. Boundaries matter, so check your own address on the council’s map.
The village centre isn’t in any National Landscape, but about 29% of Benson parish is in the Chilterns National Landscape. If your address is inside it, anything built more than 20 metres from the house — sheds, enclosures, even a pool — is capped at 10 square metres in total without planning permission.
Ewelme, Warborough and Berrick Salome, plus Crowmarsh Gifford, Berinsfield, Chalgrove and Watlington.
Please don’t hesitate to get in touch — by phone, WhatsApp or email, or through the enquiry form on our home page.
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