It’s that time of year when nature bursts into life and the much loved flora reach for the sky. The no mow May slogan has been widely shared again.
However this also provokes the passionate debate which has quite sharply divided residents over the years. The issue at hand being: should the town embrace the concept of re-wilding with the consequent flourishing of weeds across the parks, gardens and pavements or should we maintain tide verges and streets thus presenting an image of civic pride and orderliness. It is almost an ideological divide between the two sides.
The re-wilding proponents argue that embracing a more naturalistic approach to urban landscaping yields significant environmental benefits. They emphasise the importance of providing habitats for wildlife, fostering biodiversity and promoting a more sustainable future. Allowing weeds, aka street plants, to grow unhindered encourages a harmonious coexistence with nature within the urban landscape.
The alternative viewpoint advocates tidy pavements, regular cutting of verges and lopping of over-hanging branches in order to present a sense of civic pride and contribute to a positive public image. It is said that a well maintained urban landscape is more inviting and attractive to visitors thereby boosting tourism and assisting the local economy. Order and cleanliness will also enhance the quality of life for residents.
All too often they say that the re-wilding option is driven by the need to cut costs and not to save the planet. We are in many ways a green (small g) town, we all love our parks and gardens, there’s no argument there, many residents have arrived here from large cities and the availability of attractive Victorian parks is one of the incentives to live here.
We are proud of our home town and want it to provide the happy experience for residents and visitors alike. There must therefore be a happy midway in this debate, a hybrid approach perhaps and for me that would be to require the parts most frequently seen and used by visitors; the trunk roads, the sea front, the Old Town to be maintained in a pristine condition while the other more residential areas could be left to go wild should the residents so wish. This would serve to strike a balance between preserving the town’s natural heritage and maintaining a visually appealing urban landscape.
I should declare my hand in this debate, I don’t participate in the no mow May campaign simply for the very practical reason that to restore my garden to an orderly state in June following weeks of unhindered grass growth would be darned hard work.
And I have had the pleasure of seeing plenty of fauna so biodiversity is not extinguished.
The debate goes on.
Mike Edwards
Hastings Borough Councillor – Ashdown Ward
