Disappointingly, a much larger area of grass outside the agreed area for 2025 — indicated on the map in white — was cut by the council on 21 and 22 April. No notice was given. Nor was there any explanation for the cutting which we believe is against council biodiversity policies.
After a long dry period, the grass on the hill is still short. It is arguable whether any of it needs to be cut at all. As revealed by our vegetation survey in 2024, we have different types of grassland on the hill, containing different kinds of plants and wild flowers, including notable an area of harebells (Campanula rotundifolia) which we would particularly like to protect.
A formal complaint has been to the council asking that this doesn’t happen again in the future.