New ‘no mow’ zones help balance grass cutting with biodiversity

A series of ‘no mow’ zones have been established across Bridgend County Borough to promote greater biodiversity, help wildflowers and pollinators to spread, and support local wildlife including butterflies, bees, birds and insects.

The council’s Green Spaces team has established 24 different ‘no mow’ zones where grass cutting will be relaxed during the summer season in order to encourage local flora and fauna to thrive. These include:

• Informal ‘kickabout’ areas located at Alma Road in Maesteg, Foxfields and The Chase in Brackla, Humphreys Terrace in Caerau, Cavendish Court in Pen-Y-Fai, Newton Burrows in Porthcawl, St. Christophers Road in Bridgend, and Waun Cimla at Kenfig Hill.
• Playing fields at Coytrahen, Heol-Y-Cyw, Lewistown, Pen-Y-Fai, Great Western Avenue in Bridgend, Aberfields in Ogmore Vale, and Pwll-Y-Garn in Blaengarw.
• Bridge Street and River Street in Maesteg, and parts of Maesteg Welfare Park.
• Bower Street and Ty Talwyn Avenue in Kenfig Hill, and the ball court at Lewistown.
• The meadow area at Lock's Common in Porthcawl, the lower part of Mynydd Bach Common in Cefn Cribwr, and Penyfai Common.
• Large parts of Newbridge Fields on both sides of the river.

At the same time, a Highways and Parks Biodiversity Enhancement Strategy is helping to maintain hectares of open space throughout the county borough.

Under the strategy, urban green spaces receive five cuts over the course of a season, and rural green spaces are cut four times. The strategy also ensures that cuts still take place at specific locations to provide drivers with clear lines of sight, keep junctions clear, make footpaths accessible and more.

On highway verges, workers try to trim around areas where flowers are thriving naturally, such as the cowslips which are present on the A4106 at Danygraig Hill.

The council is also actively encouraging wild flowers to grow in areas such as the verge running alongside the cycle route between Brackla and Heol West Plas in Coity.

This approach has produced colourful results on the verge adjacent to Pen-Yr-Heol in Penyfai where flowers such as ragged robin, meadow buttercup, field woodrush and yellow rattle have all thrived.

An increasing number of communities across the UK are promoting greater biodiversity by creating green spaces, wildflower meadows and more.

Establishing these new ‘no mow’ zones in Bridgend County Borough forms part of our overall approach towards biodiversity, and together with our enhancement strategy, they demonstrate the efforts that the council is making to strike the right kind of balance.

Councillor John Spanswick, Cabinet Member for Climate Change and Environment