Environmentalists praise council’s grass cutting approach

Environmentalists have praised Caerphilly County Borough Council’s new grass cutting approach.

The council has said it is keeping grass cutting along dual carriageways to a minimum to promote greater biodiversity.

The council is only cutting the grass up to one metre from the kerb on dual carriageways, with the rest being left untouched.

Caerphilly Friends of the Earth, in a joint statement with Climate Action Caerphilly, said: “Having seen the results of the current cutting regime, early indications, based on a random sample of residents, are that there is an overwhelming approval of how the council is carrying out this service at present.

There appears to be very little support for a return to the regime of previous years, whereby cutting appeared to be carried out on the majority of council-owned grassland, based on an attitude to tidiness, which was not only detrimental to the ecology of these areas, but a time-consuming and costly exercise.

“To restrict cutting to areas where safety is an issue seems a sensible way to proceed.”

Leader of the council, Cllr Philippa Marsden, said: “It’s great to have such positive feedback from Caerphilly Friends of the Earth and Climate Action Caerphilly for our approach to grass cutting over the last few months.

“When the council declared a Climate Emergency in June 2019, we knew this would mean action on a grand scale, so this is a further action we’re positively taking.”

The council has also received praise from television nature presenter Iolo Williams, who called on other authorities to follow Caerphilly’s example.

Cabinet member for environment and neighbourhood services, Cllr Nigel George, said: “Whilst we understand the importance of maintaining the county borough’s green spaces, protecting our environment is also a key priority. 

“There will be differing views within local communities, but our aim is to balance aesthetics and safety with ecology. We’re keen to receive feedback from residents on this new approach; their views will then be used to help us shape the service.”

The council is also developing plans to zone areas of the borough, with some areas continuing to receive normal grass cutting maintenance, while the grass in other areas is allowed to grow longer.

Grass cutting is currently being carried out by the council at municipal parks, cemetries, older person’s housing schemes and sports fields, while maintenance on housing estates is expected to restart in July.