Resident angry at management firm 'mowing habitat'

4 days ago

Tom BurgessNorth East and Cumbria

News image — Resident Gill Dando says workers have cut the grass and "destroyed" the habitat for the last two winters

Gill Dando A partially knocked down fence on an area of land with closely cut grass near a row of detached houses. Fence posts are lying on the ground and tyre tracks can be seen in the grass. — Resident Gill Dando says workers have cut the grass and "destroyed" the habitat for the last two winters

A resident has hit out at an estate management company claiming workers are mowing grassland often populated by birds and hibernating creatures.

Gill Dando, who lives at Marine Point in Hartlepool, has even written to the King regarding alleged damage to the habitat on the dunes near her coastal home.

She says a landscaping team has come out two winters in a row and mowed the long grass, which provides a nesting ground for wintering birds.

Sela Management, which is responsible for the upkeep of the dunes, said an ecological inspection was due to be carried out and any issues raised by residents are "investigated, verified, and action is taken to adjust any procedures when necessary".

Dando, who has lived on the new-build estate for two and a half years, says the cutting back of the grass and seedheads is having a negative impact on wildlife.

"We are right next to a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) so the landscape management should be about protecting and conserving the natural area, but they just come and mow all of the vegetation down," she claimed.

Gill Dando A red and black butterfly is clinging to the side of a stalk of tall grass with a seedhead. The area around is covered in well established grass with houses in the background. — Butterflies, birds and hedgehogs survive off the grassland in winter

Dando says in previous years she has gone out and found "macerated" hedgehogs which had been hibernating in the long grass.

"When the grass is longer you can hear the birds but when it is cut down I don't see them again," she said.

Hartlepool Labour MP Jonathan Brash said estate management companies around the country are "acting disgracefully" with "no openness, no accountability and no transparency".

He said: "Hartlepool is no exception. I've received countless complaints about Sela Management, and these reports of environmental damage are deeply concerning.

"That's why I'm pushing ministers to bring forward tough new laws to give residents the rights they deserve and finally hold these companies properly to account."

A spokesperson for Sela Management said the company was looking into the complaint "very seriously".

"We operate within established guidelines employing professional landscapers who are aware of the natural habitats we are committed to preserving," a statement said.

"Any issues raised by residents are investigated, verified, and action is taken to adjust any procedures when necessary.

"There will be an ecological inspection carried out on site within the next couple of weeks, and the findings will dictate future action.

"Our contractors have advised us that they take the utmost care to preserve the natural wildlife habitats, and we will ensure as always that this is upheld."

Resident angry at management firm 'mowing habitat'

'All I do is worry about next house estate bill'

'Our estate pays £9,000 a year for grass to be cut'

Sela Management

Rail cuts leave station 'an empty shell'

Millions to be spent to make 'creative powerhouse'

Hospital's A&E department return ruled out