St Matthew’s Piece - Improving Biodiversity

I would love to see the green space planted and made more interesting and prettier. It has so much potential in this project. Some points I think could be included in any decisions. I have a feeling that this space, that was originally given to the local community so the children of the area had somewhere to play games in, still has this most pressing need at the top of its list of provisions. I strongly believe that all other developments should fall in behind this pressing need. Children play alot of ball games there. Therefore, any planting of flowers will need protection or else they will just become sad and sorry broken stems. The logs could go all along by the cherry trees, maybe by a chipping path, on the grassy play area side and this might help protect the planting. The children play adventure games on the park and will happily pick any flowers as part of these games. This is natural small child's play. This happened last year where a whole area was picked. Those flowers were larger bulbs. Swathes of smaller wild flowers will be best sown for this reason. The area opp. Funeral parlor has wild self seeded chicory that has the most beautiful blue flowers all summer long. It also has self seeded sheep parsley and other common flowers. Wild flowers are messy if left to be wild. We can't really have a sanitised rewilding. The Doctors garden opposite the park is very wild. This is what rewilding is like. So is the cemetery in Mill Rd. It will be nice if the existing wild flowers growing in this area were not dug up only to be replaced by the project's wild flowers. There are lots and lots of dogs walking/running on the park. Dogs and hedgehogs? If we have a hedgehog area it needs a fence (with access holes) to protect them by keeping the dogs out. I think this will be easy in the proposed triangle, which already has fences on two sides . The bat boxes and bird boxes put up last year are working well because they fit in with the community needs of the space. I think if we are clever with this project it will work well. Please take above points into account for those ideas mentioned. I'm a member of FoStMP and have lived opposite stMP for 27 years. Thank you Glenys Self

This is the collated feedback of several members of Friends of St Matthew's Piece following invitation to whole mailing list of Friends of St Matthew's Piece to discuss these proposals in more detail, divided out by each part of the proposal with general comments at the end: 1. Wildflower meadow area (green square top left) with bee bank in it and bug hotel ####### I think this land isn't owned by the city council so I think we can't put this there at all ####### This is on land the City Council does not own. The public has permanent rights of access to the southern half of the “Disputed Strip” but I am certain that the Council has no right to plant anything there without the permission of the land owner (BNP Paribas etc.) ####### 2. Community wildlife and ferns garden ####### I love the choice of area for the Community, Wildlife and Ferns Garden. After litter-picking in that area for an event, it seemed to me that that area was 'dead space'. Except for the bench, which was clearly used as it was the most littered, mainly with cigarette butts, empty beer and coke bottles and cans, and food wrappers etc. I haven't counted the number of bins in the park, so it could benefit from a few more and maybe an extra dog poo bin or two at other entrances. Are those sorts of things included in this proposal? I am hugely interested in a community garden. I love the one on Empty Common over near Long Road/Trumpington and even though this wouldn't be as big, it could still be nice. Happy to donate some herbs later this year when I have to separate the ones in my front garden. As above, I am a huge fan of fruit bushes and brambles. Raspberries and blackberries are great at growing themselves with minimal effort – as witnessed on my allotment this and every year for at least the last six years! Again, I could donate some. ####### I am biased because I love ferns and woodland like plants - my thoughts for this area which is around and next to the bench was that it could have a variety of different plants ideally with flowers on it and also have woodland like plants - eg Cyclamen flowers? Bluebells? Any plant that we like, perhaps it could be that you can plant your plant into the community garden and it grows "organically"? ####### 3. Hedgehog garden ####### School children at the local school could decorate / make homes for hedgehog, and there would be plants growing around and between them. This entrance area I think should definitely have something in it because it's quite empty and also has no value to eg sit there and hang out because its much nicer in the park ####### I love the idea of a Hedgehog Garden. I have no idea what that exactly entails. Could there be two? One in the Community Garden area? Or is that for other wildlife as that isn't specified? Wildlife I know that has been spotted are hedgehogs, foxes, and one time even an injured Muntjac. ###### Not sure about the feasibility of the ‘hedgehog garden’, though a great activity for small children - I have yet to know of anyone (myself included) who has persuaded a family of hedgehogs to nest in anything other than a good pile of undisturbed leaves and twigs, unmenaced by curious dogs. ####### 4. Triangles outside north east entrance by substation ####### Please improve planting on eg the triangle north of & outside entrance to park & around substation ####### 4. Woodland wildlife trail + woodland bulbs / seeds planting ####### I think the bulbs and seeds should be more on the outside, so they don't take away space from the park. And that between the two rows of trees there should be a woodchip path to walk along. I think the bug hotels and dead wood logs should also be more to the outside and less in the green space as this is a good place to play football. I really like dead wood piles because they can attract bugs like stag beetle larvae and also provide a home for lots of insects. ####### I think you might be right in saying some things might get trampled, so perhaps the more planted the better to combat this! Also, little sticks and labels etc might help to stop people treading on them. And, if the community puts in the effort to plant things, they can let others know where to be careful 🙂 The wildflower meadow and the bee bank to the left of the basketball court might need a rethink. Has anyone been to watch anyone play basketball there? Not sure if the basketball could end up over there and squash everything or disturb the bees. I can't quite see where it is meant to be, but I think it is behind the playpark area in that bit of grass no one really uses since we were banished! Parents might object to bees being too close to the play park, and if basketballs go flying in there it might be a bit of a hazard. I could be wrong, but worth investigating. Ignore me if that's been thought of/looked into already. It might also be absolutely fine! ####### Natural Trail sounds great. What will that entail? Names of trees, flowers, and wildlife on signs? A board explaining the biodiversity of the area? Who made the initiative possible etc? Can the wildflowers go all the way around that boring metal fence right round to the Hedgehog Garden, or will the woodland bulbs come up at the same time of year? ####### Nothing should be put on this play area. This is the only area where children can kick balls around. Particularly no Bug Hotel here, please. Dead wood habitat should be underneath the tree canopy near the fence, maybe? ####### 5. Picnic benches ####### I think they should be more towards the west side of the park rather than in the open space, to take away less space from the football zone, or they shoulld be right up to the trees if not. ####### Yes to picnic benches as they can be better and more sociable for families and friends who want to gather together. Benches are great too but it's less sociable for bigger groups to sit side by side facing the same way, I have found over the years. ####### 6.Entrance to St Matthew's Gardens two spots of land ####### I very much like the idea of Bee Banks and Wildflower Meadows in both of these areas. What I would like to see goes a step further. Many of us residents were frustrated with the wooden fences that were put up to stop us walking diagonally across the grass. I understand that they don't want us to wreck the grass, but I am a great believer in the idea that developments should watch how people behave and enhance those behaviours/make them more enjoyable. I and others would have preferred diagonal pathways to enable us on our routes rather than the fences to block us, but we weren't consulted. Or, at least Housing Association residents weren't. I'm not sure if homeowners were. As far as I know, the fences just went up. What I would like to see is the fences either side taken down or at least gaps made in them, diagonal pathways put in (they can remain as mown grass or be something more solid, and then wildflowers and bee banks both sides of the paths. That way, we get to enjoy nature by walking through it, rather than looking at it from the main path and still having to go round. One example of this is the lovely wildflower meadow in the University Botanical Gardens. They have a pathway through from one side to the other and it is a delight when in full bloom. And of course, the bee banks are perfect partnership for that. I wouldn't be opposed to some little bug houses either. Maybe we can get residents' kids involved in designing something? Lastly, I was wondering if a mix of fruit bushes, such as raspberries and brambles might be nice as a free source of food for anyone passing and to attract bees too. They might flower at different times of year than the wildflowers, so could extend the bee activity. ####### “I agree with the suggestion to make sure the area is inviting to go through it - I like the idea of a path going through it on a logical link through it so that you are encouraged to walk through it if you're turning left or right as a pedestrian. I personally absolutely love wildflower patches and also bee banks. As I think we can't have one in the other location above because the land isn't owned by the council (behind the play area) this is the next most logical space. I like your the idea about having bushes that make fruit that you can eat. There are some wildflower patches on Barnwell road that made flowers after flowers, really beautiful with a seed mix that had more flowers than grasses. There was also a really lovely wildflower patch in the Botanic gardens which had a path through it, and you really felt you were transported into another realm when you were walking through it. ####### We have asked for the proposals to include sequentially flowering plants overall, but here to provide fruit trees, as discussed with Cllr Robertson ####### 7. Bee and bat boxes ####### ####### 8. Side near Sturton Street: ####### Finally, there doesn't seem to be too much thought into the opposite side that runs along the fence on Sturton Street side. Could that also have bulbs, seeds, and wildflowers? I know there is the outdoor gym equipment, but that side is quite bland. The York Street doctor's surgery has some amazing bluebells outside it. Maybe we could have something like that? A splash of colour would be inviting. ####### 9. Open space in the middle (grass area) ####### Nothing should be put on this play area. This is the only area where children can kick balls around. No benches here please - maybe better under the trees, near the fence? ####### 10. Land outside of fence near funeral home at road corner: ####### Please add flowering planting here (sunny spot) - it is now so scruffy. ####### General Comments: ####### This all looks like a good start to me, especially the logpiles ####### I really support all these ideas ####### Let's assume the student accommodation on stilts on the North side of the St Matts Piece is going to happen. I think, if this is the case, having a bank of hedges and trees as a screen, going from east to west at the dividing boundary of the north and south areas, might help the south end of the Piece feel less imposed on. We could start growing this now so if the development does go ahead, we will be ready with our lovely green screen! ####### Local basketball player: “Yes please to all proposals. More bins and more picnic benches too please.“ He said, in his experience the basketballs don't end up in that patch [wildlflower areas]. They mainly only end up in the playpark area and that is if someone is seriously overshooting the basket. To get it to the wildflower patch proposed, it would take some serious effort and would probably only be done on purpose, which isn't likely. Most people he knows that use the court are nice/respectful, etc.

Very welcome ! It shows that even in a relatively small park quite a number of simple biodiversity improvements can be made. Do listen to the Friends of St Matthew's Piece group though as they have extensive knowledge of how the park is used. Siting of new benches or dead wood logs needs to be done with care as these areas may get a lot of footfall, be used in summer for fetes etc... Maybe when the city council clear up the leaves they can form part of the hedgehog garden area? Or there be space in the community wildlfe area for rotting leaves/invertebrate zone? Needless to say, more ideas on which the Friends group should give their input. Basically a great set of proposals - be great if all green spaces around Cambridge had a similar plan.

This is a *DRAFT* proposal produced by Rob Martyr (City Council Biodiversity Officer) for the Friends of St Matthew's Piece (FoSMP). This Residents Association is currently consulting on what they do and what they do not agree with in these proposals. There are elements of both, and these FoSMP views should be taken on board before any revised proposal is taken forward. Sound biodiversity improvements for St Matthew's Piece that maximise the opportunities and minimise any negative impacts on the users of this intensively used space are to be welcomed. The is the only park in Petersfield, so decisions must be made with care.

This sounds like a very positive proposal for the Piece. I wonder whether it could be good to offer involvement to children-teenagers from the area (for example with planting seeds as a free leisure activity)? This could have a secondary objective of expanding knowledge of and practice at gardening, which is not a bad thing in times of strained budgets when being able to grow your own food is a precious skill.