Skip to main content

Plans to prolong benefits of No Mow May

Image
Close up shot of flowers in Westminster

  • For the first time this year, the council supported Plantlife's campaign No Mow May

  • After positive feedback from residents, the council is now exploring plans to prolong its benefits

Plantlife’s campaign calls for green spaces to not be mowed for the entirety of May to provide a space for nature to thrive in the height of Spring. The council supported the campaign this year by not mowing grass on all housing estates and a selection of parks to allow plants to grow and pollinators to flourish.

Many residents across the borough have provided positive feedback commenting on the increase in diversity of plants and flowers in their local green spaces. Working with partners including Continental Landscapes, the council is now exploring ways to prolong the biodiversity benefits.

Areas will continue to be left unmowed around trees and hedges across all housing estates and parks to ensure biodiversity gains made during May will continue into the summer. The council is also working on longer-term plans for more permanent solutions and will ensure to consult residents.

Since the 1970s the UK has lost more than 97 per cent of its wildflower meadows which are vital for food pollinators like butterflies and bees. Despite being an inner London borough, an estimated 24 per cent of the City of Westminster is made up of parks and green spaces - an area of more than 500 hectares.

In recent years the council has won multiple Green Flag awards for the upkeep of it parks and open spaces, which provide an oasis of calm and tranquillity for residents and visitors to escape the noise and crowds of a busy city.

Cllr Ryan Jude, Deputy Cabinet Member for Climate Action and Biodiversity said:

It’s been brilliant to support Plantlife’s campaign for the first ever time this year, and to hear such positive feedback from residents.

I am pleased that we will now be prolonging the biodiversity gains into June, and working with partners and residents to find a longer term solution across Westminster.

This is part of our wider agenda to improve the environment, encourage nature to thrive and tackle pollution in the city.

Published: 1 June 2023