Highways England tackles ‘bullying’ plants with soil

Highways England's Low Nutrient Grasslands policy uses soil to tackle invasive plants. It should be good news for wildflowers and wildlife.

Highways England grassland on A38

Highways England is promising to ‘bring the country’s verges to life’ by encouraging the growth of wildflowers. The answer lies in the soil.

On all major road schemes, contractors will be instructed to follow a new Low Nutrient Grasslands policy aimed at keeping away ‘bullying’ plants such as aggressive grasses, dock and nettle. These are fast-growing plants that compete with delicate wildflowers for water, nutrients, space and light.

Removing soil nutrients slows the growth of vegetation, reducing mowing and management requirements, while improving biodiversity by allowing wildflowers to germinate and thrive. Grassland areas on improvement schemes will be finished with subsoil or bare substrate such as chalk.

Good news for pollinators and other wildlife, but also good news for drivers who will enjoy a more aesthetic roadside landscape. Further benefits include fewer maintenance visits, reducing vegetation growth and eliminating the need for topsoil import and haulage.

‘Biodiverse grasslands throughout England’

The A30 in Cornwall

Highways England environmental advisor Ben Hewlett said: “Our new policy means we’ll create more biodiverse new grasslands as standard. And as 97 percent of all species of rich grasslands have been lost in the last century, it is great to think that our construction design standards could create substation areas of biodiverse grasslands stretching throughout England.”

In building the Weymouth Relief Road, wide chalk cuttings were left bare, with minimal top soil, and seeded with wildflowers that thrive in chalk. These cuttings are now supporting 140 different plant species and 30 species of butterflies.

Dr Phil Sterling, building sites for butterflies programme manager at the Butterfly Conversation charity, said: “Over the past 10 years the Weymouth scheme has proven the benefits of the low nutrient approach – abundant wildlife and drastically reduced verge maintenance costs.”

Highways England also points to the wildflower scheme on the A38 in Devon. The scheme was started in 2018, with seeds from over 20 variety of flowers sown over five hectares of verge – the equivalent of eight football pitches. The project won a Pollinator Award in the Big Biodiversity Challenge run by CIRA (Construction Industry Research and Information Association).

Dr Kate Perry, Plantlife’s road verge campaign manager, said: “Our research shows that nearly half of our entire flora grows on our verges, making this an exceptionally important habitat for wildlife, which needs all the help it can get. We warmly welcome this new approach.”

READ MORE:

North-south divide in electric car charging points revealed

Sat-nav app Waze to help small businesses

Aston Martin Callum Vanquish 25 (2020) review

Related Articles

Gavin Braithwaite-Smith
Gavin Braithwaite-Smithhttp://www.petrolblog.com
Writer with a penchant for #FrenchTat. Owns 15 vehicles of varying degrees of terribleness. Also doing a passable impression of Cousin Eddie in an Italian-German beige motorhome. Doesn't get out much.

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Mercedes-Benz has built the first fully electric Popemobile

A bespoke version of the Mercedes-Benz G580 EV, the brand new Popemobile has now been delivered to Pope Francis.

F1’s Valtteri Bottas tests new Alfa Romeo 33 Stradale supercar

The Formula One superstar took to Balocco Proving Ground to hone the exotic 33 Stradale's handling before the final sign-off.

New electric conversion kit turns classic Mazda MX-5 into an EV

Electrogenic has launched a new conversion kit to electrify the Mazda MX-5 roadster, offering more power and a modest 100kg weight increase.

New electric Ford Puma Gen-E prices start from under £30,000

Joining the Ford Puma lineup alongside hybrid petrol versions, the new electric Gen-E has a range of up to 233 miles when fully charged.