Biodiversity Park

Grass cutting bills are rising and fewer households are contributing — it's not sustainable. 

We're proposing an alternative: gradually replace parts of our estate lawns with low-maintenance native habitat — wildflower meadows, mini forests, fruit trees and hedgerows — connected by mown paths and play areas that stay exactly as they are.

The result: lower long-term costs, less mowing, and real habitat for pollinators, birds and other wildlife, right outside your door.

 Nothing happens overnight, and nothing happens without resident support. 

Where a lawn is included:

• Play areas and sports space stay mown, as normal.

• Some grass becomes a short-flowering lawn — cut every 4–6 weeks instead of weekly, so low flowers like clover and self-heal can bloom and feed pollinators.

• Some grass becomes summer meadow — cut once a year, allowed to flower through summer.
  Small pockets become mini forest — dense native tree planting, roughly tennis-court sized, which needs almost no maintenance after year three.

• A perimeter hedge goes in along the road, screening traffic noise and doubling as a wildlife corridor and, in places, a source of foraged fruit (sloes, elderberries, haws).

• Paths are kept mown through the meadow areas so the space stays walkable and accessible.

Up to 90% of grass may eventually be replaced across a site — but always in stages, and always with a working lawn or path network left in place.

• Lower costs over time. Less area to cut means lower collective cutting bills for the estate.

•  Less work, not more. The plan is designed to reduce long-term maintenance, not create a new volunteer job for life — most of the effort is up front (planting, establishing) rather than ongoing.

•  No loss of usable space. Play areas, paths and access stay as they are — this targets underused lawn, not the bits people actually use.

•  No permanent structures, no council permission required, and residents are consulted before any changes happen on their estate.

Communities across the country are struggling to fund estate lawn cutting as fewer households contribute each year. Doing nothing means either declining lawns or rising bills. This project offers a third option — spend a little now, on plants and one-off setup, in exchange for a lighter bill and a better lawn for good.

It also earns us ground in Tidy Towns and Pride of Place judging, and directly supports the goals of the All-Ireland Pollinator Plan.

• Come to a meeting

• Volunteer for a planting day— no skills or experience needed, just a spade and an hour

• Ask about your own estate — email us if you'd like your lawn considered

• Follow progress on Facebook / Instagram