Dukes Meadows hedgerow set to be restored starting this week

The field where the hedgerow has been removed; photograph Joseph Forshaw

Last summer The Chiswick Calendar reported on the removal of a 450m long and 4m wide hedgerow along the edge of the grass pitches used for many years by Old Meadonians Football Club up on Dukes Meadows. Environmental campaigners described the hedge’s removal as ‘disastrous’ and are delighted to report some good news this week

Guest blog by Karen Liebreich

The land is Metropolitan Open Land, intended to be managed by the local authority as an amenity for the public, subcontracted to the football club, and now further subcontracted to St Thomas’s London Day Schools. This is a current trend in Chiswick for green spaces near the river – the 35-acre Quentin Hogg Memorial Ground is being “redeveloped” by Latymer School; a few years ago King’s House School has taken over a further 35 acres of the old Civil Service sports ground.

READ ALSO: Thomas’s London Day Schools promise to replace mature hedge at Dukes Meadows

In each case artificial pitches are installed, some minimal Biodiversity Net Gain is allocated and the sports grounds become primarily private school assets, with public amenity reduced to expensive court/pitch rental when the school doesn’t need the facilities.

The counter argument from the sports teams is that the council and the small clubs can no longer afford to maintain the grounds, let alone bring them up to the standard required by modern 5G artificial pitches. That is a bigger issue that we won’t go into today, given that this is supposed to be a good news happy article!

Back in July, St Thomas’s workmen dug up the hedgerow. Allotment holders on the other side of the fence were horrified to see small trees and bushes ripped up by a mechanical digger in mid-nesting season with no heed for the birds or hedgehogs for whom this was an essential habitat.

Hounslow Council’s ecologist (since made redundant and not replaced) and the Parks Officer had not been informed of the proposed works, and indeed were only able to identify where the hedgerow had once been by resorting to the use of Google aerial images.

The hedgerow which was removed, which provided cover and included plum, bramble, damson and sloe amongst other sources of food for wildlife; photograph Joseph Forshaw

The planning officers, who were supposedly responsible for liaison between the developer and the different internal departments, and for assisting the developer to liaise with local stakeholders, denied all knowledge of (or interest in) the hedgerow.

The role of the council, its silo’ed departments, and its lack of any ecology adviser, is also a bigger issue that we won’t go into today!

Following the outcry, and intervention from local councillors, the Leader of the Council, Shantanu Rajawat, and MP Andy Slaughter, the school and football club began to engage positively with us local environmental groups, including Abundance London, Wild Chiswick, London Natural History Society and the Chiswick Horticultural and Allotment Society.

It was acknowledged that the works had been badly done. Somewhat belatedly, the school commissioned an environmental survey, along with a crisis management company, and several meetings were held with all parties.

The school genuinely seemed mortified by the situation and is now doing its best to remedy the damage.

Starting on Monday 9 March there will be large equipment on site, preparing and planting along the border between the allotment site and the sports pitches. Sixteen new trees (hornbeam, rowan, oak and aspen) will be planted every 20 m or so, as well as a new hedge, double planted with a mix of native species to include blackthorn, cherry, beech, elder and holly, which are commonly found on Dukes Meadows, as well as hazel, guelder rose, common dogwood, buckthorn and spindle.

Remaining trees and shrubs will be kept in situ to re-establish.

Wood piles and stone heaps will be moved to the opposite side of the fields (adjoining the golf course) and will be used to make habitats for a future wildlife area. Included in the plan is to make the area accessible to local school children so that they can learn more about nature.

The works should be completed over the next fortnight. We are delighted with this result and pleased that the school has worked closely with, and listened to, local community groups to make good the site.  We can all look forward to watching the new plants grow and enjoy the return of birds and other wildlife species.

Dr Karen Liebreich is Director of the environmental group Abundance London.

Read more stories on The Chiswick Calendar