INFORM
WE TAKE MORE TIME AND ARE COMMITTED TO GETTING THE QUALITY RIGHT, AND WE ALWAYS FIX DEFECTS WITHOUT HESITATION – USUALLY BEFORE ANYONE ELSE HAS NOTICED OR EVEN ASKED
Outdoor, and in 1996 came to an agreement with the owner Geoff Hart to take over the management of the company. I spent eight years growing the business, by which time we were working quite extensively on developments in the Docklands and further afield. We were afforded the opportunity to become involved in some prestigious projects across London and expanded into design and build, which enabled me to flex my creative muscles.” Later, Simon sold the company and spent two years travelling before he met Randle Siddeley in 2006 – and they immediately hit it off. The company was ready for fresh challenges, and Simon felt the opportunity to work in the prime residential market was too good to miss. He was brought in to run the construction division, as there were two businesses at that time – Randle Siddeley Associates (the landscape architecture arm) and Siddeley Landscape Designs (the construction division). After a few years with the company, he was leading the whole business alongside Randle Siddeley.
which can be a challenge,” he says. “In the past we have employed from competitors, but still have to train and mentor them to work to our standards. We do look after our people, but we also admit that we do ask a lot from them – we don’t settle for substandard work. If any of the team have to ask themselves if their work is good enough, I always say it probably isn’t. They get to work on some of the best projects, both in this country in construction and internationally on designs, and we don’t settle for anything less than perfection.” Charging and projects It’s no surprise that standards of this calibre do not come cheap. “We are expensive, but not without good reason,” Simon explains. “We try to be artisanal in what we do, and on the rare occasion that there are any defects, we rectify them, immediately and without question. I have no problem in telling my team to rip up paving if I feel it could jeopardise our reputation, even if
the client is happy with it. This is one reason why we don’t compete for vast commercial construction projects, as the developers are looking for the best possible price. If an enquiry comes in where it is clear that the sole determining factor is cost, this immediately raises alarm bells, as our aspirations for the scheme may well not be aligned.” The design division works 50/50 on UK and international projects, and currently there are eight projects in hand in China and in Hong Kong, where Randle Siddely is working on Kowloon Bay and Discovery Bay. Other international projects include private villas in Switzerland, the south of France and the Middle East. In the UK, most design work is in the prime residential market. Simon adds that they have no base value, and that there’s nothing the company wouldn’t consider being involved in – it would even do a window box if it fitted with the Randle Siddeley image and reputation!
Recruitment Everyone who works at Randle Siddeley is employed on a full-time, permanent basis, and Simon explains that recruiting can be very difficult due to the high expectations of the company. “Most people interviewed for positions have not habitually delivered to the level we demand, 28
Pro Landscaper / July 2018
Let's Hear it From.indd 28
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