Grass too long, nobody taking responsibility

Davesnave

dc197 wrote: »

I wrote to my council and asked them to replace verges with flower meadows and they were quite keen, although didn't implement much.

That's because creating a wildflower meadow is much harder than just scattering seeds or putting in a few plugs, so expensive to implement successfully in the short term.

RockOnZombies

Just to let you know Persimmon don't tend to get their development sites adopted by the local authority i.e. they remain entirely private and the responsibility of the home owners to look after via some sort of management company.

So this would be drainage networks, street lighting, roads aaannndd grassed areas which you have to pay or separately.

Basically your council tax you pay doesn't benefit you on your local estate.

AdrianC

RockOnZombies wrote: »

So this would be drainage networks, street lighting, roads aaannndd grassed areas which you have to pay or separately.

Basically your council tax you pay doesn't benefit you on your local estate.

Council tax doesn't pay for drainage anyway - your water bill covers that.

And your council tax pays for a LOT more than just mowing any bits of grass that might or might not be nearby. Unless, of course, you were planning on getting your neighbours to grab buckets in the event of a house fire? Or running a community vigilante scheme in the event of a crime? Or running a neighbourhood landfill somewhere on the estate? Or... or... or...

RockOnZombies

Not entirely true, highways often have their own separate systems to manage to surface water which is covered by council tax.

I didn't list the other stuff cause the list is huge as you say but I think my point is still relevant, your paying council tax yes, which covers the points you mention but still doesn't cover the local estate so as per the OP grassed areas aren't cut, street lights aren't fixed, road surfaces aren't maintained, it's really common round where I live and a constant source of complaint from residents.

Can you tell I work for a council :rotfl:

AdrianC

There are no mains drains or streetlights anywhere near where I live, and the verges are cut by a farmer with his tractor. Can I have a discount on my council tax, please?

mumps

dc197 wrote: »

Allowing grass to grow long will help wildlife but it will not do a huge amount for feeding insect pollinators such as bees. This is because grass is not pollinated by insects. Yes you will get a few daisies and dandelions but these only add a small amount.
To be really helpful to bees, grass should be replaced with a wildflower mix or plugs or similar, to gain something that actually flowers.
Leaving grass uncut and claiming it's for bees is a way to save face and money.

I wrote to my council and asked them to replace verges with flower meadows and they were quite keen, although didn't implement much.

We do seem to have lots of wild flowers, not sure if they were planted I just assumed we were seeing them because they weren't being cut down with the grass. Actually now I think about it one of the big roundabouts has had all the formal planting removed and replaced with wild flowers. It is very pretty when the flower but it does look a mess when they die back.

moneyistooshorttomention

Davesnave wrote: »

No, it isn't easy being green, but it's easier if you have a background in media and the TV cameras rolling, right from Day1......

I didnt know that one Dave - but I remember watching the series with interest. I've met them both since then and I certainly took a liking to her.

I noticed wild flowers had obviously been planted in some places back in my last area - and it's happening in my current area too and I gather it's not that easy (having had a go at a patch back then myself and nowt came up....).

martinsurrey

glasgowdan wrote: »

Wow. Lacking in common sense are we? They're in charge of the land around the houses and they're expected to keep the site neat. It's no doubt part of their contract with the home buyers.

no, actually I do a lot of work for the large developers.

can you show me in the OPS deeds or service agreement where it says

"they're in charge of the land around the houses and they're expected to keep the site neat."

If the house is freehold (with no obligation to pay into a management company) and the land in question is still owned by the developer they can do as they please.

there are 4 common situations in cases like this.

1) the land is earmarked for something later on in the development. Until its done the developer can do as they please.

2) the land will become part of a space owned and managed by a residents management company, which the OP would have to pay into, until that's set up, had the land transferred into it and the OP and neighbors are paying into it, see 1) Until its done the developer can do as they please (most of the time they foot the bill until its sorted, but legally they don't have to)

3) the land is going to be adopted by the council after they sign off the other sections they are going to adopt (such as roads and paths), until this happens see 1) Until its done the developer can do as they please

4) the land has fallen down a development black hole, in which the developer thought one of the above was happening but it hasn't, so its just land sitting in limbo, the developer will need to pick an option and get it done and you guessed it, see 1) Until its done the developer can do as they please.

teddysmum

There is a large multiple developer private estate, near here, which is built on a former airfield so has lots of surrounding grassland, that the council used to mow.


However, a couple of years ago, residents complained that the grass had not been cut, possibly exposing children to hidden dangers when playing in this area.


The county council's reply was that, due to financial cutbacks, the grass would no longer be maintained, that this would benefit wildlife and that it was up to parents to warn their children about playing in long grass.(I don't know whether the residents clubbed together to DIY. The grass verges and open spaces on this private estate are regularly cut, but we are under a different (city) council).

ManuelG

moneyistooshorttomention wrote: »

and part of what the home-owners have paid for.

Have they paid for it?

(I might, admittedly, have missed the answer to this in among the !!!!!ing and counter-!!!!!ing!)