Council Grass Cutting / Grounds Maintenance
Discussion
Always like to start the week off with a rant, however, this has been grinding my gears for a month or so now, so following a strongly worded email to the council with the only response being an auto reply - I thought I would turn to PH as usual.
I'm sure I'm rapidly turning into Victor Meldrew.
Todays rant is regarding the council grass cutting around the area I live, I wont name the location but its just off the River Mersey and is synonymous with the Beatles.
During the usual annual foliage growth spurt around late April, I noticed a lot of the public / grassed areas / verges were beginning to look a little unkempt.
Expecting them to be addressed in the coming weeks I carried on about my daily life.
Fast forward a few months, instead of performing grounds maintenance - signs have popped up on some of the unkempt areas stating that the council aren't cutting the grass as often due to the "net carbon zero goal 2030" - some of these signs are now rapidly disappearing in the undergrowth.
Now, I'm all for net zero - don't get me wrong, it sounds like a land of milk and honey if its even possible, however, my gripe with this is down to safety for the motorist and the pedestrian.
Perhaps if they stopped selling green spaces to developers it would assist with the goal.
I first became aware of the lack of maintenance as I was finding I was being restricted in terms of view when driving - at junctions, approaching roundabouts - the clear view I previously had was no longer there
Our local pathways / pavements have also narrowed in width due to overgrowth, sometimes meaning foot traffic needs to move out onto the road to avoid the obstructions.
I cant but help think this is more down to cost savings more than the net zero agenda - I suppose both go hand in hand.
Perhaps if we start seeing more incidents, we can implement a 20mph limit everywhere.
Apologies for the rant - I do feel a little better now though.
I'm sure I'm rapidly turning into Victor Meldrew.
Todays rant is regarding the council grass cutting around the area I live, I wont name the location but its just off the River Mersey and is synonymous with the Beatles.
During the usual annual foliage growth spurt around late April, I noticed a lot of the public / grassed areas / verges were beginning to look a little unkempt.
Expecting them to be addressed in the coming weeks I carried on about my daily life.
Fast forward a few months, instead of performing grounds maintenance - signs have popped up on some of the unkempt areas stating that the council aren't cutting the grass as often due to the "net carbon zero goal 2030" - some of these signs are now rapidly disappearing in the undergrowth.
Now, I'm all for net zero - don't get me wrong, it sounds like a land of milk and honey if its even possible, however, my gripe with this is down to safety for the motorist and the pedestrian.
Perhaps if they stopped selling green spaces to developers it would assist with the goal.
I first became aware of the lack of maintenance as I was finding I was being restricted in terms of view when driving - at junctions, approaching roundabouts - the clear view I previously had was no longer there
Our local pathways / pavements have also narrowed in width due to overgrowth, sometimes meaning foot traffic needs to move out onto the road to avoid the obstructions.
I cant but help think this is more down to cost savings more than the net zero agenda - I suppose both go hand in hand.
Perhaps if we start seeing more incidents, we can implement a 20mph limit everywhere.
Apologies for the rant - I do feel a little better now though.
Edited by AlexGSi2000 on Monday 1st July 09:23
Edited by AlexGSi2000 on Monday 1st July 09:23
StevieBee said:
It's called wild-verging. It's more to do with biodiversity than net zero although the two do overlap.
There's a worryingly decline in biodiversity that is impacting on our natural capital (agriculture, water, flood defences, etc.) This is partly down to large-scale developments that have displaced biodiversity and not replaced it. This is being addressed through legislation but wild-verging is an experiment to see if a period of allowing verges and other areas to grow naturally has any positive impact. Early signs are that it does.
Allowing vegetation to grow encourages more pollinating insects and other critters to flourish and this increases biodiversity.
It has to be properly managed - maintaining sight lines and the like. And local residents should be informed as to the purpose and given the opportunity to mow the verge outside their house if they wish. The amount of money saved is small and that saving is normally spent on improving other aspects of local infrastructure.
When done well, it can look lovely. I've been working with a County Council on a pilot project where they've planted wildflower seeds along a road and it looks stunning. There's one road of about 60 houses where three residents have chosen to mow the bit outside their house and to be frank, it's made them look like prize twonks.
I totally agree with it looks lovely when done well - however in the cases I have seen locally, its mostly weeds / nettles left to grow unwieldy.There's a worryingly decline in biodiversity that is impacting on our natural capital (agriculture, water, flood defences, etc.) This is partly down to large-scale developments that have displaced biodiversity and not replaced it. This is being addressed through legislation but wild-verging is an experiment to see if a period of allowing verges and other areas to grow naturally has any positive impact. Early signs are that it does.
Allowing vegetation to grow encourages more pollinating insects and other critters to flourish and this increases biodiversity.
It has to be properly managed - maintaining sight lines and the like. And local residents should be informed as to the purpose and given the opportunity to mow the verge outside their house if they wish. The amount of money saved is small and that saving is normally spent on improving other aspects of local infrastructure.
When done well, it can look lovely. I've been working with a County Council on a pilot project where they've planted wildflower seeds along a road and it looks stunning. There's one road of about 60 houses where three residents have chosen to mow the bit outside their house and to be frank, it's made them look like prize twonks.
Granted there are a few areas that are properly managed with wildflowers that look great.
My gripe is with the areas not managed at all - which are now causing obstructions.
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