‘I maintained a flower meadow for ten years, then the municipality cut it down’

A man who spent years carefully tending an award-winning flower meadow near his home has been left “devastated” after the council came along and cut it down, he said. John Wilson, 74, has seen a decade of effort undone after a complaint from another resident.

The plot, next to a residential street close to his home, has been mown by the council, leaving only a handful of wildflowers and tufts of dry, turned grass. John said: “I’m really devastated.”

His council confirmed it had been mowed at the request of a local resident. It says it must carry out maintenance and “balance the needs” of other people living nearby.

John, from Newcastle, is the chairman of a group of 49 people who manage 10 wildflower plots in the city. This one held a special place in his heart because he could see it from his front door and it won a “Thriving Wildflower Award” from the Royal Horticultural Society.

John told ChronicleLive: “I’ve been doing this for 10 years, I’m really committed to this and in the past they’ve always respected the boundaries. They mowed a meter wide strip along the edge, around the curb and the bus stop, and so on.

“I’m really devastated and love this plot, it’s my best. The flowers grow better here than any other. It has trees in it and that really helps because it dries out the soil and the wildflowers stop growing .” Don’t let the grass choke you like that.”

John continued: “These things are not universally popular. Some people think that all grass should be short, like a mowed lawn, but this is a pasture area. It is meant to represent a meadow, it is not meant to be a wall. cornflowers against the wall.

“There are grasses, rattlesnakes, buttercups and clover. The municipality is busy creating its own flower areas, but it doesn’t matter if you have another hundred wildflower areas, you cannot destroy them.”

Newcastle City Council said they have agreed an action plan with John that will allow the wildflowers to grow again, while ensuring they can carry out essential maintenance and “balance the needs of other residents”.

Mick Murphy, head of local services and waste management at Newcastle City Council, said: “We recognize the important role that wildflower areas play in encouraging greater biodiversity in the city. However, we need to balance different views and at the request of a local The area of ​​wildflowers on Windsor Way, in Kingston Park, has been felled.

“We have been in contact with the gentleman who has been looking after the area and we have agreed an action plan which will allow the wildflowers to grow again and ensure that we can carry out any necessary maintenance. We hope this will enable the area to to thrive in the future while ensuring we balance the needs of other residents.”