Garden equipment may be required in London’s Royal Parks as large areas of grassland are being left to grow without any maintenance.
A new management regime is being put in charge of some of the most famous green areas of London, the Royal Horticultural Society reports.
There will be a board of 12 new people responsible for the day-to-day running of the parks, which include Hyde Park, Kensington Gardens, St James’s Park and Brompton Cemetery.
Policy decisions regarding the public land will be made by the group, which will largely be appointed by mayor of London Boris Johnson.
Six board members will be decided by the mayor and three will be granted a position by city borough councils.
It is hoped this move will give Londoners more of a say in how the areas are maintained.
Chief executive of the Royal Parks Mark Camley is reported as telling the environment committee of the Greater London Authority he is keeping options open with regards to turning mown grass into meadowland.
“If you went back 30 years, the levels of meadows we have within Hyde Park would have made people think we had lost control. Perceptions have changed and people now welcome having meadows as opposed to grass cut to within an inch of its life,” commented Mr Camley, suggesting an alternative approach to how the land is maintained with garden tools could be on the horizon.
Lawn mowers will still be required to keep the public spaces trim, as several members of the existing management team will stay in place to ensure continuity with existing plans that are in place for the 2012 London Olympics.
Gardeners in Mole Valley in Surrey were recently advised by their District Council to plant certain bulbs in order to make their flower beds reflect the official colours of the Olympic Games.
Athletes participating in the men’s cycle race will pass through the town as part of that event, but some local residents protested the impositions, suggesting the council should have higher priorities.
