The Oxhill News

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OWLS 

Stratford District Council has recently written to Oxhill Parish as part of a consultation exercise to determine Oxhill Parish Council’s view on the service provided regarding maintenance of all grass and vegetation on Council-owned land and the cutting of highway verges within the Parish boundaries.  In the Parish Appraisal of 2000, 76% of the villagers who took part in the appraisal, wanted to see hedges, trees, footpaths and ponds protected.  When asked if it was important to take special steps to preserve wildflowers, birds and wild animals, 81% said yes.  80% of botanical diversity occurs on roadside verges – many verges are often older than the road itself.  They support an immense amount of different species and are a haven for plants, fungi and invertebrates that are becoming increasingly scarce in the wider countryside. 

Having taken all this into consideration, the Parish Council and OWLS have made the following proposals to the Council: 

1)         All parish roads outside the 30 mph village limit, one cut per autumn to the standard 1 or 2 metre cut, with a full width cut up to hedgerow base every three years to control excessive growth, i.e. suckers, brambles etc. 

2)         Outside the 30 mph village limit, five cuts per annum only where deemed necessary on visibility areas – corners, junctions, laybys, and inside of bends, also field and footpath access. 

3)         Within the 30 mph village boundaries we would like to continue with the five cut plan with the exception of the verges marked in red on the village map.  These to be done once a year in autumn (and up to hedgerow base every three years to control excessive growth i.e. brambles, suckers etc.). 

It is also worth noting that it can be an offence under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 – Section 1, to trim or cut a hedge, even in your garden, from March until the end of August.  This protects nesting birds and other species such as bats and dormice, and then they should only be cut if deemed necessary.  Defra recommends hedges should only be cut every three years and never trimmed in the Autumn when they still hold a plentiful food supply of berries for wildlife. 

Apologies for no Nature Notes this month – but I did see a flock of over 200 lapwings near Halford … fantastic!

This site is maintained by villagers of Oxhill for the benefit of the community and those interested in the history, news and activities that make the village such a pleasant place to live.

Last modified: December 06, 2011