Stevenston Point Biodiversity Project

[little plum]

Trust you Morag.
You want to sit in the shade a bit more.

[iain]

Hi little plum,

Unfortunately, what’s stopping the growth of wildflowers is not a lack of a seed bed, but the presence of a rigid cutting regime. My email to those within the Council responsible for coordinating grass cutting (sent just under two moths ago) has as yet received no response. And our main point of contact (and help and mediation) with the Council (I.e. our local NAC ranger) is, as of December, now no longer allowed to get involved with community projects outside of Eglinton Park. What should be a straightforward attempt to get the ball rolling on a Council-public consultation on the future of the Beach Park will, as ever, most likely turn into years of wading through political and administrative quagmire. As ever though, I hope I turn out to be wrong!

Iain

[morag]

Plus ca change..

[little plum]

Hi little plum,

Unfortunately, what’s stopping the growth of wildflowers is not a lack of a seed bed, but the presence of a rigid cutting regime. Iain

Iain, my last post was just a bit of fun and a poke at red tape. I can understand your frustration, had something similar when I was a member of Auchenharvie golf club. I championed the cause for the rough to be left to go Ferrel, at the time I felt there was a double bonus, it would improve the overall appearance of the course and leave large areas for nature to invade. It was tried out for a couple of seasons, but the hackers complained and it went back to a manicured park.
I don't know the content of your e mail, but could I make a suggestion. If it was put forward as a win - win situation the council should be interested from a financial point of view, and your biodiversity project would benefit.

[morag]

LP, you know there's nothing like sticking a 'badge' on someone to make them officious rather than efficient - common sense is taken over by legalese etc.

[frank quinn]

I am way behind with this story, however Stevenston council made a Pigs Ear of the land
between Trelawney Terrace & the point. They bulldozed the land and altered that area.I
remember the wild plants and such in the area of the gunposts, Skylarks abounded then
but progress in Stinson seems to have gone backwards big style.When I return every year
I think that it is a bloody mess,!!
Stevenston as I remembered it before the "Modernisation" was my home, nowadays when
I visit the town from where I was born, no longer exists----------Amen-------

P.S. Still a Stinson man forever

[GEODGC]

I`m not sure if the original poster is aware but having been down there today it looks like the council have decided to butcher the area . The area has been at least halved. I hope it wasn`t a mistake by the council worker an he`s cut the area by mistake. See pictures below.

[iain]

Hi GEODGC,

Thanks for the info and pics. It is conceivable that cutting the grass is part of a conservation management effort (and the area will be left to grow wild again this year); however, I strongly suspect that it is at best a mistake or at worst a decision that too much of the park has been left aside for wildflowers!

LP’s suggestion above is spot on: our approach with the Council tends to be to emphasise the benefits for the Council as well as the local community and to offer to fund any costs (if any costs are involved). What’s gone wrong with this project though, I don’t know. Previously, a Ranger mediated between us and the appropriate Council departments (it‘s generally impossible to get anywhere with the Council without such a ‘bridge‘). Unfortunately, our Ranger is no longer permitted to do community work and so can no longer further green space improvements in Stevenston. We’re currently lobbying the appropriate people in the Council to get our Ranger back. If/when we’re successful, then the Beach Park project is one of our main priorities.

I’ve been told by several people in the Council that stopping any given area of lawn from getting cut is not as easy as you would think. There is apparently no direct and reliable line of communication between the Council dept. in charge of grass cutting and the contractors who cut the grass, as strange as that sounds.

Iain

[little plum]

Decided to visit the point yesterday and to be honest it looks pretty much the same as last year. The stretch in the photo was always the narrow section, this is the part that you see as you head up to the point , it disappointed me last year ( first impression) Nearer the slip it broadens out, the section I walked over was 13 paces. There is very little growth at the moment, I suspect the cold spring has set things back. What caught my eye was half a dozen Bluebells surviving on the very edge of the point, possibly the result of a gardener fly tipping. This flower isn't a stranger to the area, when I was a lad we had " Bluebell Hill" down there.
While there I noticed a chap in a day glow top, he had a tank of weed killer strapped to his back and a spray gun in hand. Now I had questions to ask this fella, I'm sure he sensed this as all attempts to head him off at the pass failed, I eventually gave up as I had other pressing matters.

[iain]

Hi little plum,

Next week I’m going to have a site visit with the man who originally arranged for the cutting to be stopped. We’ll have a chat about the current state of affairs and possibilities for the future.

I’ll post details of the outcome next week.

Iain

[morag]

Iain, I hope you realise how much I appreciate what you are doing, or trying to do.,

[iain]

Hi Morag,

That’s an awfully nice thing to say. I would go for the ‘trying to do’ option though!

Iain