How we manage our grass areas
Our environmentally friendly approach
When the grass will be cut
You will see us cutting grass between March and September but not every grass area needs the same cutting regime.
In our parks and in local areas where grass is used for recreation, we cut grass regularly depending on the ground and weather conditions.
Grass that is not used for sport or recreation will not receive full cuts and will be managed for nature instead.
We are working with nature, sometimes the cutting cycle can start earlier or later during the year depending on ground and weather conditions.
The Council is taking a new approach to grass cutting throughout the borough to help the local environment and encourage greater biodiversity.
At the heart of this change is a move from cylinder mowers to flail mowers. Flail mowers can cut longer grass and also cut the sward (grass leaf) into smaller lengths that will break down quicker returning nutrients to the soil. It will also provide greater opportunity for wild flowers and support pollinators such as bees and butterflies.
The new system of grass cutting is based on a process of managing areas of land in different ways depending on their location and use. For example:
- Recreation grounds, sports pitches, cemeteries grass will be maintained at a shorter length ie 20mm-50mm
- Highway verges, parts of public open spaces - grass will be maintained within 20mm-100mm
- Conservation areas - public open spaces such as the old golf course, countryside sites will be cut once a year
Daffodils and planted bulbs
Daffodil cutting will take place during the third cut in June.
Even though they look dead, the plant leaves absorb energy from sunlight (through photosynthesis). That energy is converted into sugar producing chemicals – food that keeps bulbs blooming year after year. If we mow them too early, bulbs are stunted, resulting in smaller and fewer blooms the following year.
Weed spraying
We don't have a specific policy for weed removal from the highway – our policy is to spray perennial weeds.
We employ a contractor to spray perennial weeds in the road channels and footways twice a year, to arrest and control growth, preventing structural damage to highway assets. This process is not designed to achieve weed-free roads all year round.
Hedge cutting
The majority of hedges are privately owned by adjacent landowners.
Routine cutting of our highway owned hedges is restricted to between October and February, to avoid bird nesting season(Link is external and opens in new window) and fit around the grass cutting programme.
Hedges are only cut for safety reasons to ensure branches do not overhang the carriageway or footway/cycleways.
Edging back requests
Edging back mean ‘pushing back’ overgrown verge which has spread and narrowed the existing footway and is usually done between October and March when the ground is softer.
Resources are directed at priority sites. For example, where concern is raised that the footway width is reduced so much that it is making it difficult for parents with pushchairs or wheelchair users to pass.