Caerphilly Cabinet have approved amendments to the grass cutting regimes across the county borough to enhance and promote biodiversity.

The report was presented to the Environment and Sustainability Scrutiny Committee on the 26th October to seek their views prior to being presented at Cabinet on the 8th of December..

A recommendation of the report was that Caerphilly Council continue with the approach adopted during the 2021 cutting season as the standard going forward in relation to our highway verges and by-pass routes where mowing is kept to a minimum.

As a result, specific areas across the county borough and our roadside verges will flourish; this will not only enhance the local environment but will assist in fulfilling the authority’s statutory bio-diversity duty and assist in the response to the Climate Emergency, which Caerphilly County Borough Council declared in 2019.

During the national lockdown in March 2020, the council was forced to reshape and transform almost overnight to respond to the COVID-19 global pandemic; one of the services paused was grass cutting as other services took priority. This had an unexpected and welcome impact on our environment as many wildlife habitats and havens for pollinators were inadvertently created. Some community spaces became a sea of wildflowers, enjoyed by many and the council was commended by the Welsh naturalist and TV personality, Iolo Williams.

Throughout May 2021, cutting along our highway verges and roundabouts were kept to a minimum in support of the ‘No Mow May’ campaign. The campaign encouraged local individuals, councils, and stakeholders to help bees, butterflies, and other wildlife by letting wildflowers grow on lawns and green spaces throughout May instead of mowing them. Grass cutting across the county borough still took place in order to:

Maintain visibility for road users;
Keep traffic signage and sight lines clear;
Maintain margins and access on footways and cycle routes;
Maintain parks, sports grounds, cemeteries, housing estates, play and recreational green open spaces.

Cabinet have also endorsed a list of areas nominated by local members within their respective wards, which in future, will be allowed to flourish during the summer period by keeping mowing to a minimum. Officers will continually work with local members to identify areas as the programme is expanded.

Areas nominated by local members and relevant officers are:

Snowdon Close, Risca.
Junction of Heol Adam and B4254, Gelligaer.
Highfield Road, Pontllanfraith.
Areas within the Grove Estate, Trethomas.
Areas around the Community Centre, Llanbradach.

These spaces will be marked with a wooden plaque thanking residents for allowing the dedicated areas to grow into eco-friendly spaces and allowed to produce abundant flowers, pollen seed and habitat for local wildlife.

Urban areas, such as housing estates, older person accommodation, cemeteries etc. will be maintained at the current cutting frequencies.

Cllr Nigel George, Cabinet Member for Waste, Public Protection and Street Scene commented, “I am grateful that Cabinet have agreed to continue with the approach adopted during the 2021 cutting season. The biodiversity of our road verges depends on how they are managed – in particular, how often and when the grass is cut. Regular mowing destroys banks of botanical diversity and destroys pollinator habitats. But, with careful management, our roadsides could bloom again.

“It is important to note that verges will continue to be maintained in the interest of public safety in relation to visibility for road users; keeping traffic signage and sight lines clear and ensuring margins and access on footways and cycle routes are upheld.”