A councillor is concerned that verges and parkland could become a dust bowl after recent mowing left grass “bowling green” short.
Green councillor Pete West was concerned to see a large swathe of green space along Surrenden Road mowed, along with verges in Hollingbury, including Rotherfield Crescent.
Brighton and Hove City Council ended its “No mow May” policy in a decision made by the Labour cabinet in December.
But 25 verges are not included in the six-times a year mowing programme. They became rewilded broad grass verges when Councillor West was the cabinet member for the environment and sustainability more than 10 years ago.
But the former mayor is concerned about wider paths cut through these spaces.
A report to the cabinet last December said: “When the verge-cutting policy was changed in March 2022 to allow flowers to seed in the ‘No mow’ period, it was introduced for a three-year period after which it was to be reviewed.
“This review is now due and members are keen to look at a wider area for grass cutting to be included in an updated policy.
“The ‘No mow May’ campaign has faced several issues. Some of these include slips, trips and falls on verges, obstructions and complaints around unkempt streets.”
From a wide verge filled with cow parsley between Carden Hill and Rotherfield Crescent, Councillor West said: “They cut this once a year in the autumn and that allows all the bugs and the plant species to thrive through the year and it works really well.
“What’s also part of the care of this is the cut around the edges as it’s close to the road and we don’t want it going over that or the pavement.
“It’s worked well. People have found their own way. At the bus stop there used to be a path cut to help people which was half that width.
“The area’s being left are getting narrower and the paths wider. You could drive a car down there.
“The area behind was under the same regime. The thing is, with the mowers, they can’t get around the obstacles and the team don’t come up with the strimmers.
“Labour’s obsession is that everything has to be neat and tidy but nature isn’t neat and tidy. The beauty of these areas is all the different species that are thriving.”
Over the summer, Councillor West said that children played in the long grass and cow parsley, enjoying nature.
He was concerned that the grassy areas were mown down so close to the ground that, in drought conditions, the ground would become a dust bowl.
Brighton and Hove is already at risk of drought after little rain in the first few months of the year and the little that has fallen is not enough to soak the ground.
Fellow Green councillor Kerry Pickett said that “No mow May” was a cost-effective way for the council to meet its commitments to the 2021 Environment Act to conserve and enhance wildlife habitats on its own land.
Councillor Pickett said: “What is clear from the recommendations made is that this administration is more worried about how things look within the city, tidying them up rather than the more important issue of protecting and enhancing the natural environment and restoring biodiversity.”
Conservative councillor Alistair McNair, who represents Patcham and Hollingbury ward, said that the council’s verge management was “hit and miss”. Some areas were ignored, he said, and places where wild flowers should grow had been mown.
Councillor McNair said: “It is important to encourage wild flowers but we also need areas for dog walkers and children to play.
“We also need sight lines cut without having to chase action every year. We feel the council needs to re-examine how all our green spaces are used – which ones for wild flowers, which for play – ensuring local residents who use these spaces are properly consulted and that they are then properly and regularly maintained.”
Labour councillor Alan Robins, the cabinet member for sports, recreation and libraries, said: “Biodiversity and protecting our wildlife is incredibly important to this council and we have a wide range of projects and initiatives in place throughout the city to support our efforts.
“This includes rewilding verges at different times throughout the year. It is a real success story and something we know many residents are passionate about.
“There are times, however, when we do have to cut growth back to prevent it either spilling into roads or causing a risk to motorists or pedestrians by reducing visibility on and around our roads.
“We have also widened some ‘desire lines’ where we have been asked to do so by residents who have found wild areas difficult to access.”
Always good to hear from Pete West – he makes cllr Davis seem vaguely normal
Please try and disagree with respect. Cllr West is the longest serving of any party.
But the Greens disrespected residents and businesses during their previous tenure. And cllr West famously introduced the disastrous cycle lane by the Pier.
What goes around comes around.
Just to clarify, you don’t get given respect. You earn it through your actions, and not by the length of time you’ve been a councillor.
We well remember his obsession with encouraging cycling, and the disaster with the Aquarium to West Street cycle lane that caused gridlock in the town centre.
But I’m sure Peter appreciates they loyal support of a former Green Party councillor.
Councillor should realise that we live in a city not the natural environment and as such it is more important to keep pavements and roads in good order otherwise they will need money spent on them as they are damaged by the weeds
It’s more important to nurture nature in a city ! Weeds rarely cause injuries on a pavement – uneven & broken paving stones do.
This is in regards to trip dangers for pedestrians (especially the elderly and the disabled) and the damage to paving caused by roots cracking and lifting the surface.
But we know your Green Party friends don’t worry about such trivia when they can instead jump on an anti-pesticide bandwagon with their friends at Brighton based Pesticide Action Network UK.
Mr Mack! you make such a bleak comment about nature being allowed to be part of urban life. Rewilding these little areas softens the harshness of concrete and tarmac, and greenery of all kinds is psychologically uplifting. It has been pure delight for me to see self seeded flowers sprouting from pavement edges as I travel along in my power chair along with other random countrifying plant life not commonly seen in the urban jungle.
Instead of mowing it all away to Bowling Green depth, common sense trimming is all that is needed.
It’s nice to see Brighton looking a lot more tidy than under the loony Greens. Great to see the younger people using the Avenue in Bevendean to play sports and sitting on the grass socially which wasn’t possible when it looked an overgrown mess.
There needs to be a balance, Steven Mack and Dick Page. Of course some weeds are a trip hazard, as are broken paving slabs. Mind you, our pavement is asphalt. That means virtually, every time we go out onto the pavement, we walk in bits of asphalt onto our flooring. It’s not easy to dig up the weeds, without breaking it up.
The arrogance of detaching City Life from Nature. Look at the Singapore, how they combine nature and urbanisation. There have been brilliant documentaries on it. My small front garden brings me such joy, seeing some wildlife at least, sadly I’ve not seen a hedgehog for a few years.
It saddens me how at odds with each other people have become. Gratitude for what we do have, seems to have eroded, whilst expectations increased.
The perimeters of the grassed areas in front of Brangwyn Way, Patcham have been cut for a couple of meters width but nowhere near the level of a bowling green. The main areas have been left uncut and left “wild’. With the wild flowers and different grass species growing in the wild areas, it looks quite nice in my opinion. Well done I say!
Pete West: Green, sincere, hard working and utterly irrelevant.