Nature Friendly Verges

The council is keen to support biodiversity in the borough, particularly given that there is evidence of significant biodiversity loss in the UK. Nature Friendly Verges are one way in which we can do this. By changing the management regime at these verges, we will lower nutrient levels in the soil which will support diverse habitats to establish over time. Such habitats support the creation of pollinator corridors that link green spaces, and that link urban and rural areas which helps conserve nature.
This initiative builds on other actions that the council is taking to support Biodiversity, such as the introduction of butterfly scrapes in some of our parks and open spaces and introducing areas of meadow at more countryside sites.

The Nature Friendly Verges Working Group was established by the Environment and Community Services Development committee, and selected verge locations in the original trial that had been drawn up from a long list.
When reviewing the results of this trial, they selected additional verges for a second trial which they based on:

• The sites in question already contained a rich floristic biodiversity so had the potential to become valuable to the scheme.
• They would provide strong connectivity to existing locations in the scheme and/or to other important local sites.
• They had been suggested as additional sites by respondents to the original trial’s online survey.

Residents were able to suggest locations for the further expansion of the scheme in the online survey.

You can view the trial site location maps on our verges map.

The trial is two years long, and we expect it will take about this length of time to enable new habitats to fully establish. The length of time my vary depending on soil type, and/or pollution or nutrient levels, but most verges should have more diverse habitat by the time the trial comes to an end.

It is important to remember that Nature Friendly Verges will continue to be managed verges. Therefore, routine maintenance such as litter removal will continue, with most of this activity occurring when picture frame mowing takes place. We would also welcome the support of our communities to keep these verges free from litter by encouraging people to act responsibly and take their litter home.
We would also welcome support from our volunteer groups with this work.

We have liaised with the London Fire Brigade around fire risks in our parks and open spaces as a result of hotter weather who confirm that the primary cause of fire is human behaviour, not long grass. Therefore, we do not expect there to be a significantly increased risk of fire at Nature Friendly Verges trial sites. However, we will continue to monitor this risk, as we do for all green spaces and will take mitigating action if required.

Our grounds maintenance teams will continue to visit these sites regularly to review their condition. We will also be undertaking survey work on the plants and species found in these verges and comparing this against our baseline data to monitor the impact the trial has on biodiversity.

There are approximately 100 hectares of meadows and naturalised grasslands across the 168 park and open space sites, and we have been working particularly in urban environments to introduce more of these spaces. We welcomed suggestions and feedback about where naturalised grassland might be introduced via the Nature Friendly Verges survey.

Several Local Authorities in the UK have trialled similar management regimes and there is plenty of information available online about these schemes. In London, we are aware that there are currently similar trials in Kingston (Wildways) and Lambeth (Bee Roads), for example. Dorset County Council have made changes to the way that they manage their verges in both urban and rural locations recognising the biodiversity benefits this will have for the county.

The council has an autumn leaf clearance programme which prioritises areas of hard standing and pavements to manage the risks they can create for pedestrians. We are not proposing making any changes to the programme in relation to the Nature Friendly Verges. Whilst leaf drop can result in some nutrient introduction, this is not considered to have a significant impact on soil quality. The council manages several meadows where leaf drop is a regular feature and still records good levels of floristic diversity.

We would welcome photographs of verges during the trial period. Please submit these via email to parksengagement@bromley.gov.uk.

Vehicles are not permitted to park on verges in the borough. Please report these issues and request parking enforcement at report incorrect parking.

This has not been an issue on other managed areas of long grass in our open spaces, but we will monitor this and continue to encourage responsible dog ownership.

The council and idverde have offered schools adjacent to verge sites a complimentary environmental education session at their school as part of our engagement plan for this trial. We are also developing plans for other ways to involve young residents in our monitoring activities including through our citizen scientist programme and will keep the website updated.