Why soil management is vital to the quality of your development

By Aaron Morley, Contracts Manager at Ruskins

The quality of a finished home begins with the ground it stands on. The soil beneath every development plays a critical role in the long-term stability and success of that property. Too often taken for granted, soil is the hidden risk that can determine whether a site thrives or fails. Poorly understood or mismanaged soil can cause subsidence, structural movement and damage to buildings, alongside surface problems such as flooding, waterlogging and failing soft landscapes. Soil is far more than just a background material - it’s a living system that underpins the performance, sustainability and visual quality of every development – and more than ever - housebuilders need to understand its importance.

When managed well, soil supports strong foundations, healthy landscapes and effective drainage – protecting buildings and reducing maintenance costs. Managed poorly, it can lead to costly remediation, reputational damage and environmental setbacks. In short, soil is not a gardening issue - it’s a matter of quality management, proven to safeguard our buildings.

Projects can be undermined because the soil was overlooked. It is not unusual to see an office park, where avenues of semi-mature trees were planted to soften the architecture, only to see that half had failed within five years. The cause might have been to do with species choice or maintenance – but if it was all about compacted soil with little or no drainage, or poor soil health – then any replacements would be doomed to the same fate, costing time, money and reputation.

We have seen residential schemes plagued by waterlogged communal areas. Faulty drains and pipework are rarely the problem, the real issues lay under the grass, following compaction which would have left the soil unable to absorb rainfall or support plant life. Until such ground is properly remediated, flooding will remain costly to resolve. Failures like these are commonplace, proving that ignoring soil, creates liabilities that managers are forced to deal with later.

Think of soil as infrastructure. Just as a roof must keep water out, soil must manage water within the landscape. Just as a façade protects against weather, soil provides the foundation for planting to thrive. When soil fails, landscapes fail and when landscapes fail, quality is affected. For surveyors and facility managers, integrating soil into routine assessments is as essential as checking the condition of a roof or HVAC system. For developers, bringing in soil expertise at the planning stage avoids years of problems down the line.

The financial and compliance argument

The financial case for such action is compelling. Studies show tree mortality rates in urban landscapes can exceed 40% if soil is not properly prepared. As trees without healthy soils, even with (rare) adequate aftercare will be very stressed.   Each replacement cycle adds direct cost, disruption and reputational damage. By contrast, soil management at the outset typically costs less than 1% of a project budget, but saves much more in reduced replanting, lower maintenance and more resilient assets.

We also need to talk about also compliance. Biodiversity net gain is now a legal requirement in England. SuDS obligations are tightening. Net zero plans increasingly highlight soil’s role in storing carbon. None of these targets can be met without healthy, functioning soils. All this means that managers who ignore the ground beneath them, risk both financial exposure and regulatory breaches.

So, what does good soil management look like? It starts with proper soil surveys to get an understanding of structure, compaction, drainage and contamination. From there, interventions might include aeration, organic amendments, or drainage solutions. On existing estates, routine soil care should sit alongside other asset management cycles. On new developments, early engagement with soil specialists prevents costly mistakes and locks in long-term performance.

Changing the mindset

The challenge is cultural. Soil is still too often seen as “dirt” to be shifted or hidden. But the reality is that it is as critical to estate value as any physical system. Surveyors and property managers are in the ideal position to drive change by insisting on soil assessments, factoring soil into risk reviews and recognising its role in compliance and sustainability.

Climate pressures, biodiversity targets and investor scrutiny will only increase the importance of soil in the years ahead. When that happens, the estates that thrive will be those that treat soil as a managed asset, not an afterthought.

The ground beneath our feet is not just dirt, it is living infrastructure. It controls water, supports biodiversity, anchors trees and stores carbon. If neglected, it creates risk and drains value. If managed properly, it protects assets, reduces costs and delivers on sustainability.

Future-proofing estates means managing soil with the same seriousness as any other asset. It really is time that we stopped regarding the ground beneath our feet as something to be overlooked - and start recognising its true value.