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This update was shared on Facebook by Denby Dale Labour councillor Will Simpson.
Below is the text from a letter that I am delivering to residents on Park Road today, from myself and Graham, providing an update on the plan to improve the public green space beside the main road.
Dear Resident,
We hope that you and your family are keeping well at this challenging time.
We are writing to provide you with an update on the plans to improve the green space on the Wakefield Rd/Park Rd roadside, which were halted in the spring by Covid-19.
As you may be aware, the Council had undertaken some preparatory work on the site for us and we were due to be working with local environmental volunteers to sow the site with wildflower seeds.
Unfortunately, the pandemic hit and we entered lockdown the week before we were due to work on site, meaning that the volunteers were not allowed to meet and we were legally unable to progress our work on the site.
We are pleased that we are now in a position to ensure the work begins again.
Due to the strength with which weeds and grass have re-asserted themselves since the initial effort, and our commitment to improving the environmental and aesthetic impact of the site, we have decided to partner with Pictorial Meadows (also known as Green Estate) to help deliver these improvements.
Green Estate are a not-for-profit social enterprise who specialise in improving green spaces and their impact on the environment. You may know of them from their work on the grounds at the 2012 London Olympic Games – and they worked with us on the meadow that we have successfully established further down Wakefield Rd, opposite Just Thai in Denby Dale.
Working with them we have developed a plan to ensure that we have a successful flowering this coming spring and a meadow for the years to come, which will have a positive environmental impact and provide a powerful display of colour for our village.
With preparatory work beginning on 5 October, in the coming weeks Pictorial Meadows will be:
– Laying a perimeter of pre-established wildflower turf, which will flower strongly next spring to ensure an instant aesthetic impact as well biodiversity;
– A seeded wildflower centre which will develop over the next two years;
– 1000 crocus bulbs within the seeded centre, which should flower each spring, just before the wildflowers begin to flower, which will result in a display of colour and biodiversity on the site from the early spring, right through the summer and into the autumn.
Below is a message from Dan Cornwell the Landscape Director at Green Estate and Pictorial Meadows about the plan and how we can expect it to develop:
‘The green space at Park Road is being transformed from grass to a perennial flower meadow. This will increase the biodiversity value, colour and interest to the site and will be done by using a wide range of flowering species that offer food and habitat to insects, invertebrates and birds. The species chosen aim to offer a longer flowering period for available pollen and nectar.
‘The meadow will be installed this autumn by using both seed and a Pictorial Meadow turf. The site will be cultivated to form a seed bed and the meadow turf will be laid around the perimeter of the site. This will establish very quickly and provide flowers as soon as the spring 2021. The central area will be seeded but take longer to become established and flower.
‘Perennial wildflowers can take up to two years to flower from seed so there will need to be some patience with the seeded area. The seeded area may be under competition from aggressive weeds which will be checked on a regular bases in the first year before the meadow has become established. The seeded area will also have some cut and collect operations undertaken before establishment to prevent the faster and dominate species out competing the slower species. There is a risk of failure from seeded meadows so it is possible that some parts may need to be re-sown the following year. However, we should all be seeing some wonderful flowers in 2021 and with regular management should provide a valuable space which will improve our environment and we can enjoy watching develop over the seasons.’
We hope that this is a helpful update and that you are able to enjoy an improved green space here in the coming months, but if you have any further questions or if there is anything we can do to help, then please don’t hesitate to get in touch and let either of us know.
Yours sincerely
Cllr Will Simpson and Cllr Graham Turner
ENDS
Work has also been undertaken at the site on the edge of Clayton West on Wakefield Road, as you enter the village from West Bretton – on the right hand side a few hundred before Kiln Lane.
At no cost, this site has been treated with a hydroseeder by Pictorial Meadows.
You may have noticed this as this resulted in the site having a green colour.
All being well, this comprehensive treatment of nutrients and seeding will result in a meadow establishing here and developing from the spring and for the years to come.