Harrogate Borough Council has rejected an offer from a residents group to remove the fake grass in town and plant flowers instead.
Lucy Gardiner, co-founder of the original Harrogate Residents Association group, wrote to council leader Richard Cooper offering to carry out the work with local schoolchildren.
Her offer follows yesterday’s direct action by Extinction Rebellion Harrogate in which. the plastic grass in one of the raised beds was removed and replaced by shrubs.
Yesterday’s direct action by Extinction Rebellion Harrogate.
Harrogate Residents Association’s offer is the latest twist in the turf war saga that has provoked a fierce backlash by residents concerned about the environmental impact as well as the damage to Harrogate’s reputation as an upmarket, floral town.
Ms Gardiner’s letter, seen by the Stray Ferret, said:
“We have quite a few volunteers who would like to remove the Astro turf in the centre of town and plant up the beds with flowers/shrubs that survive in shaded conditions.
“Do we have the permission from you as the head of the Harrogate Borough council to do this please?
“We thought we could also engage with some of the primary schools to encourage the children to help plant them up, supporting a greener future and community spirit for their future town.”
Cllr Cooper declined her offer and in his reply copied yesterday’s council statement, which apologised for not explaining its actions better.
Read more:
- Harrogate council apologises for fake grass saga
- Extinction Rebellion replaces fake grass with flowers in Harrogate
The statement, which can be read in full in this article, said the artificial grass would serve as a base for planters that will sit on top of the beds, resulting in “a vibrant display of colour all year round”.
It added the scheme was a trial and if it didn’t make the town look better “we will remove them and try something else”.
Ms Gardiner said the group would pursue the matter with Harrogate and Knaresborough Conservative MP Andrew Jones.
