More conservation and less grass-cutting on verges

Due to people wanting more habitat conservation grass cutting in Newtown and throughout Powys is being done with more sensitivity, councillors have been told.

And Newtown's Cllr David Selby wants to know if more can be done.

At a meeting of Powys County Council's economy, residents, communities and governance scrutiny committee, members discussed the road verge grass cutting management plan.

They were told by Powys County Council’s Brian Price, that the authority was trying to get the correct “delicate balance” between road safety, and providing valuable habitat for many kinds of wildlife.

Contracts and programmes manager, Mr Price, told councillors: “The balance is switching, more people want areas left than wanting areas looking like bowling greens.

“There are quite a few towns and community groups where we have agreed not to cut.

“Urban verges, which are inside the speed limit are due for cuts in May, July and September.

“As a trial this year, we have reduced it to a safety cut.

“A good example of that is in Presteigne, we’ve left a lot of verges especially around the bypass.

“They set up a treasure hunt to find flowers and that was really good and something we should promote a little bit more.”

He believed that due to the coronavirus lockdown, people had become more acceptable of the changes and he hadn’t received poor comments.

Councillor David Selby,  had noticed  work taking place at council owned areas in his ward and the workers had cut around wild flowers.

Cllr Selby, said: “Is there more opportunity for us to develop biodiversity areas?

“Are there examples I could show residents to persuade them to allow that to happen?”

Mr Price answered: “Housing estates are the places we are looking at, why strim around a tree when we can have one metre of wild flowers around it?”

He added that he would send links of the community Facebook pages that showed the wild flower verges in Presteigne to committee members.

Mr Price added that if people wanted to keep wild flower verges they should discuss it first with their town or community council.

Committee chairman, Councillor Mathew Dorrance, said:  “It’s been really good seeing a focus on habitat management – it’s a really good change and to see the service balance that against safety and neighbourhood management.”

In April, celebrity renowned television nature expert and Montgomeryshire resident, Iolo Williams, took to social media to praise the council for allowing the grass to grow and encourage pollinators.

 

By Elgan Hearn, Local Democracy Reporting Service