A CALL has gone out to transform the town’s barren areas of grass into havens for wildlife.
Former district councillor Colin Poole is calling for the authorities and community to pull together to turn the broad unused grass areas in Daventry into wildflower meadows.
Last month Cllr Chris Over called for part of Daventry Country Park to be transformed into an area of wildflowers.
Mr Poole said: “There are lots of broad swathes of sterile grass in Daventry that are used by very few people except the odd dog walker. The proposal is to use native wildflowers and tree species to turn them into attractive wildlife havens.
“They would look better than just plain grass – which would help the Daventry in Bloom bid, and they would help wildlife as well.
“How would we pay for them? Well we wouldn’t be mowing them all through the summer so there’s a saving.
“Daventry claims it has an environmental pedigree, and this would fit into that.”
Areas that have been suggested for this include the broad verges along Leamington Way, Eastern Way between the Long Buckby turn and the iCon roundabout, and the verges along Yeomanry Way, plus unused pieces of ground on playing fields.
Mr Poole said: “A few trees and the proper plants and seeds and hopefully these will require minimum maintenance.
“We don’t have to turn whole fields into these meadows, just part, leaving manicured areas for playing.
“If they block where people walk it wouldn’t take a minute to mow a path through. And alongside roads we’d have to have a bit of clearance from the kerb for safety.
“Whatever is mowed could be composted to cut the carbon footprint. What we want is for the community to get involved – residents’ associations, the Friends of Daventry Open Spaces, plus the various councils.”