Open Spaces, Trees and Grass Cutting

We want our communities to be pleasant places to live and as such work hard to keep open spaces looking neat and tidy. Each year our partner Glendale carries out services such as grass cutting, shrub bed maintenance, hedge cutting, weed control and litter collection.

You can view the Grass, Shrubs and Trees we are responsible for on our GIS map – Available here Grounds Maintenance Map

  • Grassed areas are represented by a green area surrounded by a red border
  • Shrubs areas are represented by a purple area surrounded by a red border
  • Trees are represented by green dots or shapes surrounded by a black border

For any queries regarding grass, trees or shrubs outside these areas please contact either your local parish/town council or DCC as they will likely be responsible for the maintenance of these areas.

Read the full Tree Management policy or our summarised version.

Read summarised policy

Open spaces and grass cutting

We provide a ‘Cut and Drop' grass cutting service to areas designated as open space, this means when we cut the grass, we drop it on the green spaces rather than removing it.

  • Grass cutting is carried out up to 14 times between March and October (weather permitting)
  • Cuttings will be blown away from properties and pathways
  • Litter will be removed before each cut
  • Strimming will be carried out as needed around obstructions and boundaries

Why We don't offer a cut and collect service:

Leaving the grass behind after cutting is generally considered a more sustainable and environmentally friendly approach because:

  • Nutrients are released back into the soil encouraging healthier grass
  • It creates a natural fertiliser
  • It helps water retention in the soil
  • It cuts down on landfill
  • It saves energy since we're not taking the cuttings to landfill/composting sites, which in turn reduces our carbon footprint

Providing a ‘Cut & Collect’ service would be significantly more expensive and would result in higher service charges.

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Tree management

We are committed to maintaining the trees in our ownership as they make an important contribution to the character and environment of our communities. Trees have an important role in sustaining wildlife conservation and protecting a wide range of habitats. Trees are ‘self-optimising’, responding to their environment in a way that maintains a balanced and healthy structure. Our tree policy outlines the circumstances where we would consider carrying out any works to trees.

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Shrubs and hedge maintenance

Shrub and hedge maintenance consists of pruning, treatment of weeds and the removal of litter and cuttings. Shrubs and hedges receive a hard prune during the winter months (November to March) and are then spot-pruned as appropriate.

Additional pruning will only be considered if the foliage is causing an obstruction or danger.

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