RAMS & CPP for Landscaping
What compliance documents you need for driveways, patios, retaining walls, and hard landscaping — and how The Site Book handles it for you.
Written by Nicola Dobbie, Founder, The Site Book — Last reviewed
TL;DR
- CPP: Required — CDM 2015 applies to every construction project, including hard landscaping.
- RAMS: Recommended — always required by commercial clients and local authorities.
- Key hazards: Excavation collapse, striking underground services, and silica dust from cutting stone and block paving.
What compliance do you need?
Hard landscaping involves real construction risks — excavation, plant machinery, heavy materials, and underground services. Whether you're laying a driveway, building a retaining wall, or installing drainage, CDM 2015 applies. Many landscapers don't realise this, but the regulations cover all construction work including groundworks and external works.
Do you need a CPP?
Yes. A Construction Phase Plan is required for all construction projects. For landscaping, your CPP should cover excavation procedures, how you'll identify and avoid underground services, plant and machinery management, and traffic management if you're working near roads.
Do you need RAMS?
RAMS are recommended for all hard landscaping work. They're essential when using plant machinery, excavating near services, or cutting stone and concrete (silica dust). Commercial clients and local authorities will always require RAMS.
Common hazards
- Excavation collapse when digging for foundations and drainage
- Underground services — gas, electric, water, telecoms
- Plant and machinery — mini diggers, dumpers, compactors
- Manual handling of heavy materials (slabs, kerbs, aggregates)
- Silica dust from cutting concrete, stone, and block paving
- Cement burns from wet concrete and mortar
- Noise and vibration from cutting equipment and compactors
- Vehicles and pedestrians near work areas
How The Site Book handles it
Describe your job — "block paving driveway, semi-detached house" — and The Site Book creates your RAMS and CPP automatically. It identifies landscaping-specific hazards including excavation safety, underground services, silica dust from cutting, and plant machinery use.
Frequently asked questions
- Do landscapers need RAMS?
- RAMS are recommended for hard landscaping work, especially when it involves excavation, use of plant machinery, working near underground services, or construction of retaining walls. Commercial clients and local authorities will typically require RAMS before work starts. Even for domestic driveways and patios, RAMS are good practice.
- Does CDM 2015 apply to landscaping work?
- Yes. CDM 2015 applies to all construction work, which includes hard landscaping such as driveways, patios, retaining walls, and drainage work. Soft landscaping (planting, turfing) on its own may not count as construction work, but it often forms part of a larger project that does.
- Do I need a CPP for a driveway or patio job?
- Yes. A Construction Phase Plan is required for all construction projects under CDM 2015. For landscaping, your CPP should cover excavation safety, plant and machinery use, underground services identification, and manual handling of heavy materials like paving slabs and kerbs.
What's included at each tier
| Feature | Starter£0 | Pro Monthly£39/mo | Pro Annual£30/mo | Business£99/mo |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First project free | — | — | — | |
| RAMS generator | ||||
| PDF download | ||||
| Worker sign-off | ||||
| Unlimited projects | ||||
| CPP generator | ||||
| COSHH library | ||||
| Team members | — | — | ||
| Priority support | ||||
| Site inductions | — | |||
| Toolbox talks | — | |||
| Multi-site rollout | — | |||
| Save £108/yr vs monthly | — | — | — |
Honest pros and cons
Pros
- Plant-operation and manual-handling controls pre-filled
- Retaining-wall excavation depth checks baked in
- Public-access control notes for domestic frontages included
- COSHH for herbicides, sealers, and treatments ready to add
Cons
- No tree survey / BS 5837 arboricultural report generation
- No plant-hire ticket tracker per operator (still manual)
- Planning-permission reminders not tied to the council portal
Why The Site Book
- Only UK construction compliance tool that ships RAMS + CPP + COSHH + inductions + worker sign-off in one flat-rate subscription.
- AI-generated documents are site-specific from a natural-language brief, not a template library you hand-fill -cuts writing a RAMS from 2 hours to under 5 minutes.
- Worker sign-off, PCPP import, cert tracking, and document checking are included at the entry tier, not locked behind an enterprise plan.
- Transparent flat-rate pricing starting at £30/mo -no per-seat surprise as the team grows.
Get your landscaping docs sorted
Describe your job, get professional RAMS and CPP in minutes. No credit card required.