Grounds Maintenance

The operations team maintains most of the green spaces in the borough including sport pitches, open spaces, play areas, road side verges and the Worting Road Cemetery. In addition to this the team plants and maintains floral displays, shrubs and hedges.

All the staff are required to operate all machinery in a safe and appropriate manner and have been appropriately trained to LANTRA standard.

Report a ground's maintenance problem

Grass cutting

We are responsible for mowing over 6 million m² - equivalent to cutting over 1,000 football pitches. Most general open space is cut about eight times a year from early April to the end of October. This is dependent on the weather and ground conditions, for example in hot and dry summers the grass grows slower requiring fewer cuts. Rough grass areas such as the verges on ring roads are cut six times a year.

We do not cut grass that is:

• privately owned
• on properties/estates not owned by the council
• outside of the Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council boundary

We are restricted by the elements and some cutting may not run to schedule. Extended dry weather may make cutting unnecessary. And using mowers on very wet land can create mess and damage the sward of the grass. However, due to the large area of grass being maintained it is sometimes necessary for mowing to continue during wet weather. Although, for health and safety reasons, grass cutting to banks may not be carried out if the ground is wet. Areas that have been cut during wet weather may appear to be churned up afterwards. This is usually superficial and the grass will normally recover within 48 hours.

Most grass in residential areas and adjacent to the highway is cut by a ride-on mower. Some areas of grass are cut by pedestrian hand mower and these will sometimes be cut separately.

No Mow May

Many areas of our land are not mown until the autumn each year, to encourage the biodiversity of the area. We also increase our bulb stock every year and this provides a very early nectar source for pollinators.

While No Mow May gives a snapshot of flowering for nectar-using insects, there are limited long term benefits for biodiversity if the area is mown immediately afterwards.

Natural habitats need time to establish and develop. It is therefore better to carry out longer term, properly managed biodiversity programmes such as the Biodiversity Improvement Zone in Hatch Warren and Beggarwood.

Shrubs and hedges

These are generally cut back once a year during the winter months. At all other times of the year a response team is available to deal with overgrown footpaths and sight line problems. To report a problem please contact 01256 844844 or email customer.service@basingstoke.gov.uk.

Hedge cutting doesn't take place from the end of March until autumn due to nesting birds unless there are health and safety reasons such as impeded sight lines or public right of ways or risk of harm to pedestrians or motorists. A risk assessment will take place where hedges need to be cut back in these instances to make sure that wildlife is not adversely affected.

Weed control

Basingstoke and Deane uses non-residual herbicide and mulching techniques to control weeds in soft landscape areas. We arrange the chemical control of weeds to highway surfaces on behalf of Hampshire County Council.  Two applications are applied per year.  The chemical used is Roundup Pro, the active ingredient of which is Glyphosate.  This is a non-toxic product that does not harm pets or wildlife.  All our operatives and contractors are qualified to National Proficiency Testing Council standard.

Floral display

Flower beds, hanging baskets, towers and other planters can be seen throughout Basingstoke. These provide colourful seasonal displays and our team take great pride in their maintenance.

Naturalistic areas

Over the years the council has planted thousands of spring flowering bulbs, such as crocus and daffodils, throughout the borough. Most of these bulbs are planted in drifts providing a beautiful display of colour during early spring.

After the blooms have faded the grass is left uncut to allow the leaves to continue to photosynthesize and then die back naturally returning energy to the bulb ready for flowering again the following year. The grass in these areas will get longer than in the surrounding areas and will only be cut and removed in June. This has the added benefit of allowing early flowering wild flowers to flourish in these areas boosting the borough’s biodiversity.

As part of our biodiversity action plan a number of verges and areas around the borough are left uncut. This allows rare wildflowers, such as orchids, to flourish and provides food for a variety of insects. These areas are cut once in the late summer/autumn to prevent course grasses from taking over. They include:

• Tollhouse Meadow, Chineham
• Crabtree Plantation
• Down Grange Meadow
• Old Down
• The Knowlings
• Bere Hill
• Wildlife Area, Eastrop Park
• The Lip, War Memorial Park
• The Mill Field
• Garrett Close, Kingsclere

What is the impact of climate change?

Climate change has increased the growing season by 24 days in the last 30 years. Increased CO², rising temperatures and excessive rainfall has and will continue to expedite grass growth.

Frequently asked questions

Is it OK to cut the grass verge outside my house?

You should be aware of the possible risk of injury to yourself, passing pedestrians and traffic. If you would like to do this you are advised to contact us at 01256 844844. You will also need to contact us if you wish to stop maintaining any area.

Why hasn't an area on the estate been cut at the same time as the rest?

This could be because:

• it is suffering from a problem such as localised water logging
• it is not always possible to finish a whole estate in one day and the team may need to come back the next day to finish off
• the land may belong to someone else, such as Hampshire County Council, Sentinel Housing Association or Sovereign Housing Association or a developer
• the area has wild flowers and/or bulb plantings and is cut on a different frequency
• it may require a smaller pedestrian mower or may be cut by larger equipment such as a tractor fitted with gang mowers

Why aren't grass cuttings removed?

The quantities would amount to thousands of tonnes a year, removal of which would result in unacceptable costs and an unacceptable carbon footprint. The cuttings add nutrients (nitrogen) into the ground, which strengthens the grass and improves growth.

Do you cut grass in all rural areas?

We cut grass in the borough’s rural towns and villages, for example Tadley, Overton, Whitchurch and Kingsclere, but do not mow verges adjacent to high speed roads such as the B3400, A340 and the A339. These are the responsibility of Hampshire County Council.

How can I help?

Please:

• don’t park on grass verges
• don’t place decorative stones or logs on verges as these can be dangerous
• remove your wheelie bin from the verge as soon as possible after it has been emptied

To report a problem with grass cutting please email customer.service@basingstoke.gov.uk or contact us on 01256 844844.

What if my property is damaged while council staff are cutting the grass?

If you consider that your property has been damaged by an employee of Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council, please phone 01256 844844 or email customer.service@basingstoke.gov.uk.

Does the council use peat free compost or soil in all landscaping and horticulture?

All compost and soil used by the council is peat free. This includes any soil bought as part of bedding plants. In addition, all plastic pots and trays are returned to nurseries for reuse.