I hope that this is helpful in providing folks with an accurate and informative note after a conversation with the family who are and continue to be committed to the welfare of their land and those many wildlife residents that live there.
They are replacing the old hedge with a new, more resilient hedge of our various native British species.
They are part of the Government’s Higher Level Stewardship scheme and promote the provision of mature wildlife habitats and sustainable farming.
Roadside hedging does have a tough time due to the obvious fumes and salt from passing vehicles and as the hedges age the bottom becomes very thin and vulnerable with that particular hedge still having remnants of Dutch Elm plus it had become choked with Elders and Ivy.
They do not like seeing the hedges when they are being replaced but are happy in the knowledge that they did not sustain much wildlife due to the thinning plus they have a lot of great wildlife habitat on the farm into which they can fairly easily relocate that wildlife until the new works have rejuvenated the area alongside the road.
Early March is a particularly good time for them to replace that hedge as the field it borders has been left to stubble this year to provide good cover for the English Partridge plus they have overlaid it with stubble turnips for the in-lamb ewes to feast upon.
The result is that they are not destroying any crops and this coupled with the recent storms having caused even more damage to the already fragile hedge, resulted in there decision to bite the bullet and completely replace it.
Hopefully with all this investment the wildlife will benefit for many years to come.
If there are any further questions i am sure the Reynolds would welcome some sensible dialogue or please write to me at my Bernward Buckinghamshire Council email address if preferred below
Nicholas J Brown
Chairman Chearsley Parish Council & Bernward Buckinghamshire Councillor
