From Patrick Radford:
The butterfly bank is to go.
Last autumn, council workers deposited a large white mass on the Green. This came as a surprise to local residents. The mass was intended to become a grassy bank with specially chosen wildflowers.
Our association called an open meeting. Most local people who came were opposed. The bank was (they agreed) too large for the Green, was ugly, and would force ball-playing children towards the surrounding busy roads. Residents said that their gardens already supported populations of butterflies. It was pointed out that the Green was used by the emergency helicopter service. The meeting was attended by senior staff from the council’s parks department, the charity that had put up the money, our member of Parliament and borough councillors. Local people who spoke at the meeting asked the council to remove the bank. Jim Simms, our chair, summed up the local view and asked the senior staff from the council when they would remove the material. The reply was that the material would be removed in late spring and that the area would be seeded with new grass.
Jim Simms has repeatedly written to remind officers. Today (23rd May 2023) we learned that the promise would be kept. David Warburton, Senior Diversity Officer has written: this is the core of his letter.
…. Thank you for your patience with this project.
Given the recent more stable weather and the fine weather forecast over the next few weeks, I met the contractor on site late last week and I confirmed with them that they would start work on translocating the bank w/c 5 June (as they had other work booked in for the next two weeks).
Wow, you're lucky enough to be given what would have been such a beautiful feature, full of life and colour and beauty... And you wanted it dug up? Sad.
The butterfly has gone and, more recently, has been seeded. Rightly, the fence is remaining for now. We are now watching for evidence that the new grass is indeed growing.