A clean, green and safe environment is a top priority for us. We manage and maintain a number of the District's parks, recreation grounds, closed churchyards, cemeteries and green open areas. This can also be carried out in partnership with local Parish Councils and under agency arrangements with Derbyshire County Council.
Maintenance
Different types of open space require different levels of maintenance, so the frequency varies according to the location.
In areas such as cemeteries, public open spaces, play areas and grass verges you can expect the grass to be cut on average every seventeen days March and October, dependent on weather conditions. On vacant open area sites we will cut the grass on average, once a month from April to October, again dependent on weather conditions.
Verges
Road safety is our main concern and at places where visibility is important we cut accordingly. Verges in urban areas are cut on average every seventeen days between March and October.
Rural verges are cut swathe width of 1.2m, sightlines and junctions, twice a year between April and October; every third year one of these cuts is full width.
We are also aware of our responsibilities towards increasing biodiversity, so we cut in a way that allows animals and wild flowers to enjoy their natural habitat, while still making sure safety is a priority.
Assisted Gardening
If you are a Council tenant and are not physically capable of maintaining your own garden and have no family in the area you may be able to get assistance from us. Assisted Garden Maintenance is only awarded to Rykneld Homes / Council tenants who don't have any friends or family within North East Derbyshire who can tend to their garden and who meet one of the following criteria:
- Have a terminal illness and live on your own;
- Are older than 80 years of age and live on your own;
- Have a severe physical impairment;
- Have a severe sensory impairment;
- Are supported by a carer from a recognised agency.
Each case is determined on its own merits and it may be necessary for us to visit to assess your application. All tenants 18 or over would need to qualify for the service.
The service includes the Council carrying out the following:
- Cut your grass an optimum 12 times a year between mid-March to mid-October - all grass clippings to be left in situ;
- Cut boundary hedges once during the Autumn / Winter period;
- Treat vegetation along grass boundaries before the grass cutting season.
Council tenants can apply for the service by completing the Garden maintenance application form (.pdf | 196kb), with as much information as possible to help us assess the application, enclosing relevant copies of any supporting evidence and returning the completed application to the address on the form. If you need any help to fill the form out, or require any further information, please contact the Grounds Maintenance team. To request assistance with filling out the form, or to request a copy of the form to be posted to you, please fill in a general enquiry form via our ‘Contact Us’ button.
Council tenants who are not entitled to receive a free assisted gardening service can receive the service if they pay the service charge, or make their own maintenance arrangements.
Tree Pruning and Hedge Cutting
We undertake a programme of cutting, pruning and conservation to maintain our trees, hedges and other aspects of the natural landscape. We trim our hedges bordering the highway at least once a year, as well as the hedges of infirm Council tenants on the Assisted Garden Maintenance Service. Trees will be examined regularly and maintenance work carried out as necessary. Health and safety of the public is a priority and also that of the natural environment.
If you wish to carry out work to a tree on your own property, or wish to carry out work to a tree which overhangs your boundary under common law right, you are advised to check if the tree is covered by a Tree Preservation Order (TPO) or is in a conservation area. If the tree is covered by a District Council TPO or is in a conservation area you must contact Planning before you do any work. Applications for work on trees in conservation areas usually take up to six weeks of receiving the application. Applications for work on trees covered by a TPO will be dealt within eight weeks of receiving the application. There are also Derbyshire County Council TPOs which apply in parts of the district.
You can view North East Derbyshire District Council TPOs and Conservation Areas in our district on our Online Mapping tool (this tool works best on larger screens). Derbyshire County Council TPOs can be viewed on the county council's Online Mapping portal.
If you are a Rykneld Homes tenant and wish to carry out works to a tree within your garden, you should contact Rykneld Homes for permission as set out in the tenancy agreement on 01246 217670 or
If you are concerned about the safety a tree on private land (e.g. in a neighbour’s garden), this is a civil matter and you should contact the owner/occupier with regards your concerns.
Private Garden Maintenance Works
Our team of gardening experts provide a full range of services to keep your garden looking at its best. Please get in touch so that we can provide a quote to look after your garden, whether it is privately owned or rented.
We offer:
- Hedge trimming
- Grass cutting
- Tree pruning and felling works
- Shrub and border maintenance
All work is undertaken to a professional standard so you can rely on us to look after your garden. Please contact the Grounds Maintenance team if you would like to request a quotation or for more information on 01246 217610 or email
No Mow May
We are once again joining the No Mow May initiative and letting the grass grow. Find out more about Plantlife's No Mow May Movement.
During the month of May out Grounds Maintenance team are cutting back on the mowing of certain areas of various Council-owned green spaces. In doing so the grass is being left to grow and wildflowers bloom, resulting in a ‘nectar feast’ for pollinators such as honeybees, bumblebees, butterflies, moths, and beetles.
These areas have been chosen in order to ensure there are still areas being mown which will still allow residents to continue activities such as dog walking, sports, and allow children to play in more maintained green spaces.
Areas such as roadside verges which we maintain under agency agreement for Derbyshire County Council are not included in the District Council’s plans for No Mow May.
Council gardens under our maintenance, sports pitches and cemeteries are excluded from the list of No Mow May sites, and the Council will continue to mow these locations during May. By cemeteries, we refer to Danesmoor Cemetery, Hasland Cemetery and Temple Normanton cemetery; some closed churchyards are included within the list of No Mow May sites.
What’s new?
Last year was the first time the Council supported this initiative, and feedback was invited from residents.
We have listened to views and suggestions on No Mow May and reduced maintenance locations, and more sites have been added to the list for 2024.
What are the benefits of No Mow May?
There are lots of benefits to No Mow May including the following:
- Allowing plants to flower provides vital nectar (food) sources for insects and increases the pollination of plants
- The potential to provide seeds for birds
- Provides a variety of habitats and wildlife corridors
- Supports and enhances biodiversity
- Helps alleviate flooding – longer, thicker grass slows the flow of water and helps to store water during heavy downpours
- Longer, thicker grass also helps to protect against soil erosion caused by intense rainfall, wind, heavy footfall, etc.
- Grass and other plants help to cool temperatures during periods of hot weather through the process of evapotranspiration.
- Grass and other plants capture carbon emissions from the atmosphere and lock up carbon in the soil helping to combat climate change.
- They also absorb pollution and help improve air quality.
- Helps the recovery of the grass sward following the harsh heatwaves and droughts experienced in recent years by allowing the grass to reseed itself and make the sward thicker.
How long will grass cutting be suspended?
To support No Mow May, we will suspend grass cutting on the selected sites from Wednesday 1 May 2024. Grass cutting will resume from Monday 3 June 2024.
On select locations, nominated for reduced maintenance, the grass cutting will be suspended during the summer.
Why aren’t you doing this everywhere?
These areas have been chosen in order to ensure there are still areas being mown which will still allow residents to continue activities such as dog walking, sports, and play in more maintained green spaces.
Roadside verges which we maintain under agency agreement for Derbyshire County Council are not included currently in the District Council’s plans for No Mow May, and consideration will be given to visibility before any of roadside verges are added in future years.
How can I nominate another site for No Mow May?
If you have any comments in relation to a No Mow May site, wish to nominate others, or would like to see a ‘No Mow May’ site with reduced mowing permanently, please email