New wildflower meadows will be planted in the area

The preparations for the meadows start this autumn.

Three sites in Nuneaton and Bedworth are going to be the home of wildflower meadows to help biodiversity within the borough.

Sites at Bayton Lakes, Bedworth Sloughs and The Dingle are taking part in the trail which aims to see whether the meadows work in the area.

Cllr Julian Gutteridge, Portfolio Holder for Health and Environment at Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council, said: “Wildflower meadows are now one of the rarest habitats in the United Kingdom and native insects and mammals will all benefit from these new meadow areas.

“We are delighted that this trial is taking place and hope it will enhance our environment for our residents for many years to come.’’

Preparations for the meadows start this autumn and there are two ways to create the areas:

Meadow creation – this will involve fully removing the existing grasses and cultivating the ground before sowing the meadow seed mix. This will mean the soil will be visible this Autumn/ Winter.

Overseeding – this will involve seeding into the existing grassland with ‘Yellow Rattle’ plants found in traditional hay meadows for two years which will reduce the vigour of the existing grasses and then sowing the wildflower seed mix in the third year.

The meadow areas will be cut in the late Summer/ Autumn and the cuttings removed as that encourages the natural seeding of and regrowth of the meadow in the next year.

The council will put up signs to inform members of the public about the meadow creations.

The costs of all the works have been funded from ‘biodiversity offsetting’ payments made to the Borough Council by developers.