We have miles of urban and rural routes which contain grass verges. We have previously cut the grass verges to ensure and maintain a good view for drivers, and focus on meadows within our parks and open spaces.
As grass verges are a habitat for a number of wildlife creatures, a consultation with Plantlife and Kent Wildlife took place to review the best approach for our verge environment and to assess suitable wildlife verge scheme options.
The advice from the consultation was to naturalise the areas and assess what plants are growing. This means we will not mow grass verges in certain areas across Medway.
Overtime, we will create an additional 100 miles of wildflower rural and urban verges which will add to our existing 140 miles of long grassy verges.
The following grass verges have been left to naturalise:
- A2 Rainham
- Deanwood Drive, Rainham
- Four Elms Hill, Hoo
- Frog Island, Upnor
- Hoath Way, Gillingham
- Ito and Yokosuka Way, Gillingham
- Kings Frith, Gillingham
- Maidstone Road, Chatham
- North Dane Way, Chatham
- Peninsula Way, Hoo
- Wainscott Bypass - first section
- Watling Street, Strood.
By leaving these verges to grow, it will allow a wider diversity of wild grasses and flowers to thrive, providing a vital food source for bees, hoverflies and butterflies.
Wildflowers that are left to seed also feed birds and small mammals such as bats, voles and shrews. These smaller animals will then support apex predators such as barn owls and kestrels.
Feedback from residents
That’s great news for wildlife and shows leadership sadly lacking in a lot
of other UK authorities I can’t wait to see the results of this initiative
I congratulate you on such a great policy. It’d be great if you could share
your policy with other councils. Love this.
The bank is looking beautiful with all the wildflowers and butterflies.