Land and Biodiversity

What the council are doing

16 of our grassland sites throughout the County Borough are now being managed by our new cut and collect machines purchased through the Welsh Government grant ‘Local Places for Nature’ (LPFN). This means 4.5 hectares of grassland are now being managed purely for biodiversity, that’s the equivalent to around 8 football fields. You might see some of our signs installed in these areas highlighting we are managing those areas for pollinators and wild flowers. The new measures will help protect our pollinators and bring nature back to our

LPFN Greening up the public Estate

The project will cover small, but publicly visible/accessible areas of grassland throughout the County Borough currently intensively managed by the Parks Department of MTCBC.

Cut and collect machines will be purchased and used to manage these grassland areas in a new way producing species-rich grasslands that will improve biodiversity and provide Wellbeing Wildflower Webs throughout the County Borough. The areas will constitute a ‘natural’ capital asset that will benefit both the people and wildlife of Merthyr County Borough. This improvement in the natural environment will be experienced by people from their doorsteps and also as they travel around their local area.

LPFN Nature on your Doorstep

Creation of a single new space on the site of the former tennis court at Troedyrhiw. The nature of the work will involve reclaiming the land to give access to and to display a wide variety of plants of differing uses, growing in a nutrient poor substrate prepared from the existing material beneath the old tennis court surface. The planted areas will be surrounded by and interconnected with a series of edged and resurfaced footpaths on the level for ease of access. The garden will be associated with interpretation, artwork and opportunities to provide a resource for both volunteering and educational purpose. The proposed garden will be an asset to the local community, benefit local schools, local groups and visitors alike. The project will increase the value of the parks as a recreational resource and add value to visitor enjoyment and experience. It is anticipated that the project will also attract visitors to the local area thereby benefiting the local economy.

Challenge Fund

The former fields at Prince Charles Hospital have recently become abandoned due to drainage issues. As part of the challenge fund we are taking advantage of the wetland conditions to offer the opportunity to increase the floral diversity. The diversification of the wet conditions through the introduction of a wider spectrum of locally native wetland plants would both extend the season of interest and broaden the appeal to insect life. Opportunity will be made of the wet conditions to create a series of scrapes that will create small bodies of shallow open water. The water bodies will coincide with raised paths that allow visual access and enjoyment without the damaging consequences of direct access. The opportunities created will allow the planting of a wider range of marginal species such as flowering rush, sweet flag, purple loosestrife and hemp agrimony. As part of the plan, management and maintenance will take place on the mature trees to the north with increase of tree coverage and shrubs throughout the site. Communal growing areas will be created for the local community to use as growing space.

LPFN

The fund is for the use of the members of The Merthyr Tydfil Biodiversity Partnership to help improve any biodiversity related projects.

WCVA Park Alive

The Parks Alive project commenced in September2019 and was completed by September 2021. The project covers five parks within the borough and aims to deliver a wide range of environmental improvements and activities, given each park a sense of pride. The project will renew lost heritage, share skills, and address green infrastructure and biodiversity issues. It is hoped skills will be transferred to communities through a series of events aimed at generating further interest. The aim of the project is to achieve a fully fledge friends of parks group.