Havering council - bad park managment
Tuesday, 22. July 2008, 14:09:08
Apologise for this rant, but I feel it needs to be said:
The area I live in is run by Havering council, and over the last two years I've noticed many cases of ignorance and sometimes damn right stupidity in their management of parks. But yesterday in Bedfords Park was a step too far for me. Along the deer enclosure on one side was thicket of brambles and other plants that at this time last year was swarming with caterpillers and other insects and small birds, namely a pair of blackbirds, used for nesting. But now all there is this:
The area I live in is run by Havering council, and over the last two years I've noticed many cases of ignorance and sometimes damn right stupidity in their management of parks. But yesterday in Bedfords Park was a step too far for me. Along the deer enclosure on one side was thicket of brambles and other plants that at this time last year was swarming with caterpillers and other insects and small birds, namely a pair of blackbirds, used for nesting. But now all there is this:
But the council has done this sort of stuff before, some examples are:
- Unnecessarily hacking back the vegetation along an already wide path in spring (in 2007 + 2008) just as the insects and invertebrates are starting to thrive. This habitat is an important woodland margin habitat. Any overgrown vegetation should be carried out in autumn/winter, but it wasnt even necessary here
- When performing the above ripping up part of a native bluebell bed, a species protected by law. Just plain illegal and dumb
- cutting back trees in spring, prime bird nesting time. This work should be carried out in autumn/winter
- harvesting hay from a meadow in a country park in the middle of July to sell for profit. In the week between cutting the grass and harvesting I saw a harvest mouse in the open (unusual behaviour) and found a destroyed harvest mouse nest. This work should be carried out in september as the meadow is winding down for winter anyway.
- The great crested newt pond on the golf course: this was filled in but the council took no action other than make them dig it out again. Because that makes it ok and the newts probably survived being buried for weeks...
But this following image brought it all home. Its a site thats sad enough on a road but when its in a supposed refuge for wildlife its just upsetting
By SittingFox, # 22. July 2008, 16:52:25
By Ukwildlife, # 22. July 2008, 21:14:43