Plan to go wild on roadside verges

SOME of Hyndburn’s roadside verges could be transformed into “wildflower corridors” next summer.

Lancashire County Council has agreed to explore whether rural routes and the roads leading into towns and cities could be made more attractive - to both humans and wildlife.

The plan won cross-party support at a meeting of the council when Conservative member David Foxcroft said the county was “uniquely placed” to roll out a policy which has already been adopted on routes including the Broughton bypass.

“In less than a century, the UK has lost 97 per cent of our wildflower meadows,” County Coun Foxcroft said. “Positive action like this can halt that decline and begin to reverse some of the damage. Roadsides which have no ecological value can become wildlife havens.”

County Coun Foxcroft acknowledged the plan would need to be “carefully thought through”, because of the potential effect on sight lines for drivers at junctions.

Meanwhile, deputy Labour opposition leader John Fillis warned that the authority would have to take into account the fact that some of the potential routes which could be transformed are “dangerous roads, [to which] we wouldn’t want to attract people inappropriately”.

Members were also told of the potential benefits of the plan to air quality in the county.

A report on the proposed scheme will be published in the autumn - in time for planting to begin next spring.

Wild flowers planted in front of the flats on St Paul’s Court, Union Road and St Paul’s Street, Oswaldtwistle have been winning admiration from the public and sheltered accommodation residents. The flowers, which are attracting lots of bees and insects, were planted by Onward Homes.