On 4th September 2023 Bletchley and Fenny Stratford Town Council took over delivery of landscape maintenance in our area from Milton Keynes City Council. Work that was previously being done by the City Council’s contracted operator will now be delivered by the Town Council’s ‘in house’ landscape team. Our landscape employees are determined to provide a high quality service and continuously improve the green environment with the help and support of local residents.
Our landscape work includes grass cutting, maintenance of hedges and shrub beds and low level tree work on land owned by Milton Keynes City Council. It also includes landscape maintenance of land owned by Bletchley and Fenny Stratford Town Council. We do not carry out landscape work in Manor Road Cemetery, on Parks Trust land or other privately owned land such as the Newton Leys or Eaton Leys estates. Also we do not carry out work at the Blue Lagoon or some regeneration sites in the Lakes estate such as Serpentine Court or Warren Field*.
Our work plan includes the following areas:
- Central Bletchley
- Denbigh
- Durrans Court Area
- Fenny Stratford
- Granby
- Lakes Estate*
- Leon Recreation Ground
- Lords Close/Barons Close Areas
- Mount Farm
- Paddock Way Area
- Rowlands Close Area
- Saffron Gardens
- Simpson/Staple Hall Road Area
- Trees Estate
- Water Eaton
To report any issues you can use the button at the top of the page. Alternatively, contact us directly on 01908 649469.
We welcome your feedback as we work to improve the landscape.
Other information
Biodiversity
The Town Council has a legal duty to give ‘due consideration’ to biodiversity and the natural world. We are working to ensure that we meet that obligation. This means that there are some areas where we won't mow to promote wildflowers (supporting bees and other pollinating insects), and places where we won't use weed killers (to promote healthier environments). Over time we will continue to look at how we can make our organisation more environmentally responsible and contribute to the Milton Keynes City Council target of reaching Net Zero by 2030.
FAQs
Leon Rec, Saffron Gardens
Fortnightly on a Wednesday
Community Orchard and all allotment sites
Fortnightly on a Wednesday
Mowing of Amenity Grass areas
Mowing will be conducted from March until October.
Mowing will be completed systematically and it will take approximately 3 weeks to complete each cycle. On completion, the cycle will begin again.
The mowing route will be completed in the following order:
Water Eaton Road area
Frensham Drive
Central Bletchley
Hunters Drive area
Drayton Road
Lakes N/E
Lakes N/W
Lakes S/W
Lakes S/E
Stoke Road/Holsey Ln
Trees Estate
Rowlands Close
Paddock Way
Dukes Drive area
Simpson/Staplehall area
Watling Street
Denbigh/Mount Farm
Granby
Unfortunately we cannot remove grass cuttings as the cost of collection and transport and the specialist machinery needed would be very expensive. We will remove any arisings from footpaths.
Locations where grass areas have been planted with bulbs, for example; daffodils and crocus will not be cut back until the leaves have started to die back, usually 6-8 weeks after flowering. This is good landscaping practice as it ensures bulbs will produce flowers the following year.
Grass cutting is too large a scale operation to only proceed in optimum conditions, although it will be suspended in wet conditions when the likelihood of causing damage or operator safety outweighs the cutting priorities.
This encourages the return of wild flora and fauna to our open spaces. Also land use can help determine how long grass should be, for example more formal areas require shorter grass.
Please visit the mapping system on the My MK section in the Milton Keynes Council website. Enter the postcode, select the address and then click on Find. Click on the My Maps tab and then under Map Categories (on the left of the map) tick Landscape – Maintained General. Or you can ring or email us at the Town Council.
We are contracted to crown lift trees so as to clear footpaths by 2 metres in height and highways by 5 metres. Any other tree works including felling and inspections are the responsibility of Milton Keynes City Council. All trees within the boundaries of council owned properties are the responsibility of the tenant and cannot be maintained by our landscape team.
Information on tree maintenance by Milton Keynes Council can be found here.
Email: envservices@milton-keynes.gov.uk
MKC Environmental Services: 01908 252570
Hedges are cut back on an annual basis, although hedgerow maintenance is restricted by law. Therefore if a hedgerow is believed to be the home to nesting birds, we will be unable to carry out works until the birds have vacated. Usually this period is between the months of April – July. Maintenance is usually done during the winter when growth has slowed.
Landscape plantings are designed and planted to soften the built environment rather than to act as a security or privacy barrier. Plants are living, ever-changing organisms and consequently do not have the static qualities, such as those of a fence, required for such a purpose.
Our landscaping contract with Milton Keynes City Council does not cover control of weeds growing directly on any hard surfacing such as roads, pavements and paths or alleyways or the hard surfaces of play areas.
We do have a responsibility to control weeds in planted beds. Whenever possible we will restrict the use of chemicals but herbicides are the most cost effective way of weed control.