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Grass cutting

Find out how and when we cut the grass in parks and on grass verges in Torbay.

Grass cutting on verges May and June update from SWISCo

The gardeners amongst you will recognise that a combination of lots of rain and warm weather makes the grass grow far more quickly than usual. Plus, the wet weather we’ve been having lately further limits our grass cutting opportunities. Controlling grass growth in May and June is always notoriously difficult and we appreciate that the grass verges look untidier than you or we would like them to be.  We now have a full complement of staff back on grass-cutting duties – that’s nine operatives covering the Bay area and whose sole remit is cutting the grass on highways and verges; while we continue to stick to our 6-weekly cutting schedule, nature has other ideas at this time of year! Please can we therefore ask that you bear with us over these coming weeks, and, by the end of June,  we should have the grass verges looking at their best again.

Grass cutting is a service carried out, on our behalf, by SWISCo, a Torbay Council company.

SWISCo is responsible for cutting 1.4 million square metres of grass on highway verges and in parks and open spaces across Torbay. The early part of the growing season is always a difficult time with high rates of grass and weed growth encouraged by the perfect storm of sunshine and rain.

We also manage and maintain other land and open spaces in Torbay, including parks, recreation grounds and grass verges; this is, again, carried out by SWISCo and our grounds maintenance contractor Glendale Grounds Management Ltd.

We are constantly seeking to find a balance between meeting residents' and communities’ expectations of their local landscape, together with the latest ways of incorporating national thinking into our work.

Why is grass left to grow in some instances?

As public perception of the local environment changes, SWISCo receives as many enquiries and requests for grass to be left long and ‘rewilded’ as it does for areas to be cut on a regular basis and kept short. There are now many areas across Torbay where the cutting regime is tailored to finding a balance between these often-conflicting aspirations.  An example of such a conflict is No-Mo May which has gained a lot of interest, while others say it lulls insects and other pollinators into a false sense of security, if only to be mown again in June!

There are, nevertheless, some circumstances where we are leaving the grass to grow, for example:

  • Biodiversity: longer grass helps to increase biodiversity and helps nature to thrive. In some of the parks and open spaces where the grass is not used for sport and recreation, areas will be left to grow long over the summer to benefit wildlife such as bees and butterflies. Often the teams will regularly mow paths through these areas so they can be enjoyed by local residents. At the end of the summer these areas will be trimmed and the cuttings collected to ensure they do not become overgrown and the biodiversity and wildflowers improve year on year.
  • Trees: In some areas the grass under the tree canopy has been left longer. This is to improve tree health and longevity (leaving the area longer helps retain the health of our trees and reduce compaction under the tree root zone, and reduces bark damage from strimmers and mowers. In many areas grass is being left longer around the bases of trees to avoid damage to the roots by the weight and cutting deck of the mower but to also help support the bee lines.
  • Aesthetics: Allowing for natural wildflowers and bulbs to grow adding more colour to our beautiful Bay.

Blue hearts

Some of Torbay’s grass verges will be turning blue to help local wildlife, increasing plant and insect biodiversity while also supporting our ongoing commitment to tackling climate change.

Blue hearts have been installed across Torbay to support the national blue campaign to rewild council land and roadside verges.

There are currently blue hearts in the following locations:

  • Armada Park
  • King George V playing fields / Easterfield.
  • Churston/Bascombe Road former Car Park
  • Hampton Lands (St. Marychurch)
  • Stanley Gardens Paignton
  • Summercourt Way Brixham
  • Ashfield Gardens Torquay
  • Stoodley Knowle (near Community Café)

Read more about the Blue campaign.

Methods of cutting

For resource and carbon efficiency large open areas of grass are cut by big tractor towed mowers. These big machines cannot get into tight corners and narrower sections of the site so often a secondary crew will follow up with a smaller machine and strimmers. Occasionally, these two crews’ works schedules do not align and therefore they may be a bit of a gap between the large areas being cut and the site being completed (i.e.the strimming and edging work being carried out)

Cutting carried out by residents

In some areas residents wish to have the verge outside or near their home cut more frequently like their own gardens; while we are more than happy for residents to take their own responsibility for such areas, it must be emphasised that this a personal choice of residents and one that we support provided they are working safely.

How to report issues

If you would like to report an area please contact the SWISCo green infrastructure team on 01803 207797 or at greeninfrastructure@swisco.co.uk.

We apologise for the delays and appreciate your understanding, please bear with us.


This page was last updated over three months ago

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