The Town Council is consulting residents whose homes face the Plantations as to the future development and maintenance of these spaces. The hope is to create a group of residents (provisionally called “Friends of the Plantations”) to work with the Council.
Currently, Council contracts for the perimeter hedges to be cut to the height of 1m – 1.5m twice a year (with the exception of the north side of the small plantation where it has been requested that the hedge is kept higher to provide screening for the horses from MKM Racing). These cuts are recommended to be undertaken outside the bird nesting season and as such are currently diarised for February and not before early August. Contractors also undertake a twice-yearly tidy-up of the internal shrubs and lower trees; taller trees are inspected annually by a qualified arboriculturist. The external and internal grass is cut fortnightly throughout the growing season.
Unfortunately, current budget constraints do not allow Council to significantly increase its annual financial commitments at this present time, although it can consider one-off costs.
The results of the survey will be discussed at the next Council meeting on Wednesday 9 December