Overgrown grass on a community green in Knaresborough was cut this week following complaints from residents.
Homeowners on Appleby Green had described the site as an “eyesore”.
After they raised their concerns with Harrogate Borough Council and contacted the Stray Ferret, the green was finally mown on Monday following a period of more than four weeks.
However, they remain sceptical that the maintenance, which they were promised would be fortnightly, will regularly continue.
The impact of staff shortages on the council’s ability to maintain green spaces, plus its policy to re-wild parts of the district, has divided opinion. Some welcome the return to nature; others feel it looks untidy.
There are 200 houses on the Appleby Green estate, near the Nidd Gorge, with 14 situated around the green, overlooking the area.
Speaking on behalf of a number of homeowners, Stafford Dent said there had been numerous complaints raised over the last three years.
He said:
“It was only last summer when the head of parks and the parks manager visited the site with around 20 residents present.
“A plan of action was agreed with the management team to maintain key areas of the Appleby Estate, including, most importantly, the green.
“It was agreed the green and surrounding areas would be cut every two weeks.
“Unfortunately, Harrogate Borough Council have not kept their promise.
“Our lovely green is becoming an absolute eyesore.”
Appleby Green, before it was cut.
Mr Dent said residents were told by the parks manager that there weren’t enough staff to maintain areas across the district and the teams were working “flat out”.
However, Mr Dent said it had been an ongoing problem over recent years and the council therefore had “more than adequate time to manage staff attrition”.
He added:
“After numerous complaints the residents feel that we are constantly being fobbed off with lame excuses as to why key activities are not carried out on a regular basis.”
‘Striking a balance’
A council spokesman said a programme of work was in place to cut the grass in parks and open spaces, verges and other areas managed by the authority.
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He said this was in addition to maintaining the numerous award-winning floral displays, for which the Harrogate district is well known for and attracts thousands of visitors every year.
He said:
“Like many services across the country, we have vacant positions that is having an impact on our ability to deliver the service as desired.
“Some areas are also being left to grow and not mown as regularly as we want to attract pollinators, encourage biodiversity and create habitats.
“As we’ve said before, this approach is favoured by some and an eyesore to others. So we have to strike a balance to ensure all residents can enjoy the district with the resource we have available.”
Mr Dent said he believed the council had only cut the grass on Monday on the back of “all the noise that has been raised”.
He said:
“I know in a few weeks time we will have the same old problem though, as this is an ongoing issue.
“In addition to sending an email direct to the parks manager, to which I received a response stating that her teams were currently so stretched, I have also logged a formal complaint on the council site. This has been acknowledged by the customer service team and I still await a response.
“It’s the same old issue, not enough staff to cope, but due to this being an issue for a few years, I feel that the management team have had more than adequate time to solve their headcount problem.”
