By Andrew Topping, Local Democracy Reporter
Mansfield District Council is deliberately leaving grass uncut in the town’s popular Berry Hill Park to encourage wildlife and reduce its carbon footprint.
But one councillor has hit out at the tactic in the park, suggesting the area has “got worse” since the council took control of the land.
The authority has confirmed it has been altering grass-cutting regimes, saying it was responding to concerns over global warming.
It has led to concerns that the park is “overgrown”, but the council says it is helping to improve the “flora and fauna”.
Councillor Andy Burgin is portfolio holder for environment and leisure on the council.
He said: “Over the last few years, grass-cutting regimes have changed in response to global warming.
“It is important for us to look after and nurture our ecosystems, improve biodiversity and reduce our carbon footprint.
“Naturalised grassed areas provide a host of benefits such as dispersal of seeds, mitigate drought and floods, maintain biodiversity, contribute to climate stability, protect soil from erosion, provide wildlife habitat and act as pollinators for our diminishing bee population.
“Naturalising the grassland previously mown regularly contributes to improving our flora and fauna.
“Mown paths around and through the naturalised area of grassland provide access for dog walkers and other park visitors who want to wander through to enjoy the immense numbers of different grasses and wild flowers within these areas.”
It comes two years after the authority took full control of the land, becoming corporate trustees in 2019 to save the park from closure.
The agreement enabled essential maintenance work to be carried out, including litter-picking, emptying bins, grass cutting, clearing leaves and health and safety work on trees and the play area.
These elements are now solely the responsibility of Mansfield District Council, which also operates several other parks including Titchfield, Yeoman Hill and Carr Bank.
Council control began after Miners’ charity Coal Industry Social Welfare Organisation Office (CISWO), which maintained and owns the land, announced in 2018 that it could no longer afford its upkeep.
Residents initially feared the worst about the popular park, before a petition and protest took place in November 2018 and called for the council to step in.
The authority then formally agreed to become corporate trustees in July 2019, before officially taking on the role in the following October.
But despite the council taking control, Berry Hill’s ward councillor has raised concerns about the park’s current state.
Councillor Andrew Tristram, who represents the area for the Mansfield Independents, says the council should be “doing more” to improve the land and believes it has gone backwards.
He added: “I don’t think it’s anywhere near the standard I’d like to see, I was hoping when the council took over that we’d be going for green flag status by now.
“It seems like the park has got worse, the council has an excellent parks team but I think they are under-staffed and aren’t given enough resources.
“There’s really no excuse for it being overgrown. At the end of the day, it’s public money and they want them to do the work, so it should be maintained to a standard that the public wants and it isn’t at the moment.”
