We’re committed to making our communal green spaces more accessible, colourful and nature friendly.
Last week, we held community events at Meadowbrook Road, Elderberry Drive and Church Lane to talk to you about our plans to make your green spaces more biodiverse and better places to use and enjoy.
Improving our green spaces
The 3 areas we visited last week are part of an initial pilot project, to help us understand how we can better use the green spaces around our homes. In 3 – 4 years’ time, we’ll have to make sure that all of our new builds, estates and residential areas have usable green spaces.
During our community events, we planted seeds to make the surrounding areas a better environment for birds and bugs. We’ve also left areas of grass and wildflowers to grow longer than usual to protect and enhance the biodiversity.
Protecting our green spaces
Our green spaces are not only important for our physical and mental health, including providing the clean air that we breathe, but they protect the homes of pollinating bees and bugs that are vital to all life.
Green spaces also protect us from the consequences of climate change. Less hard surfaces and more roots in the soil prevent flooding from heavy rainfall. Shade from trees and reduced urban heat retention also cool urban areas when there is a risk of overheating.
In our new homes, new nature-focused building regulations will mean that nature is left better than when we found it.
We need your help
We need you to report instances of crime, vandalism, littering and fly-tipping, which can destroy areas of green spaces. Reporting this can help catch those who did it and stop it from happening again.
You can report any issues on our website or via our social media channels (Facebook @MidlandHeart and X @MidlandHeartHelp).
We need you to be patient with the wildflower areas; they may look like weeds, but they are just natural plant life and will be really colourful once they’ve had time to grow.
What our tenants said
One of our tenants, Samuel, said, “I think it's been a long time coming and it'll be something nice to look at. The bright colours will help people mentally and help people get of the house more. I have 3 children all aged between 2-5 years, so they’ll definitely love it too!”
Another tenant, Thomas, mentioned he has lived in the area for 27 years. He’s happy to see some positive changes taking place, looking forward to seeing more colour, and a better environment for birds and insects to live.
Thank you for your support in making our green spaces more accessible, colourful and nature friendly!
If you’d like to find out more about our green space project and what we’re doing to help wildlife, you can visit our website.
