14 Sep 2023
A community meadow which was home to a huge array of plants and wildlife has been destroyed by council contractors.
Martyr mini meadow – between Creighton Avenue and Martyr Close in Cottonmill – was mown down in error by workers from contractors John O’Connor, leaving volunteers heartbroken.
The meadow was created by local food growing group Grow Community – Sopwell, following two years of negotiations with the district council and help from Herts and Middlesex Wildlife Trust.
They were finally granted a licence in January, and volunteers have been working all year to develop the area, which by summer had grown enough to host educational events to spot wildlife, including insects and butterflies as well as wildflowers.
Last Friday Sonya Jefferson, a Cottonmill resident who was the lead committee member on the mini-meadow project, checked the area in the morning and posted on social media: “The wildlife this morning! The air was alive with the sound of bird song and buzzing.”
But when Sonya visited the meadow again in the early evening she was devastated to find it had been completely mown down, with all the wildflowers and insects gone.
Sonya said: “From the pattern on the ground it looked like the mowing had been from a large mower and further investigation of local verges showed they had all been mown that day.”
After sharing the news with friends and volunteers on social media, Sonya quickly received messages from local councillors offering condolences and help.
“My local councillor Sarwar Sharma phoned me that evening to let me know how sorry the council were and that they were taking this matter very seriously. They had also contacted other members of the Grow Community group. At 4pm the following day the council had a meeting with me at the mini meadow with Cllr Sarwar Sharma, county Cllr Sandy Walkington and leader of the council Cllr Chris White. Their response was immediate, and very understanding. It was really helpful to have that meeting and see that our council understood the impact it had had.”
Kate Swindells, the chair of Grow Community – Sopwell said: “The volunteers had worked really hard to create this meadow in such a short period of time. There was an information blackboard on the fence explaining that our community group was managing the land; an education board with details of the project and one which highlighted the plant of the month.
“We were all shocked to hear the mini-meadow had gone but we have also been delighted at all the support and offers of help that have come from the council and our volunteers. The Grow Community -Sopwell committee are very happy with the speed and seriousness with which the council have dealt with this issue.”
Sonya explained: “We are in the middle of a climate emergency, and we need to do all we can to combat climate change and protect biodiversity. This land – which was 7 x 40 meters in size – was perfect for meadow land, as the grass wasn’t growing but other plant species were taking hold. Because it wasn’t flat it was hard for the contractors to maintain it neatly, so we were delighted to get the licence to develop it as a meadow.”
Lee Wood, another committee member said: “We have had weekly working parties and the meadow had really developed over the summer; we took part in the Big Butterfly Count and had more educational events planned. The meadow is well used by the community, children especially enjoying running though it and filling the bug hotels. There were two benches, and two bug hotels, that we had created from pallets. The edge of the area had been kept short, as our licence had demanded, and a path was cut through the middle of the meadow so the community could explore it.”
Council leader Cllr Chris White added: “I am beyond furious and have demanded an investigation, which is under way, plus compensation for the residents who have invested in it.”
Any Cottonmill residents who are interested in helping rebuilding the mini-meadow this autumn are asked to contact Grow Community – Sopwell by email on growsopwell@gmail.com or look on the Facebook page or website for updates at www.growsopwell.org
