Our teams manage around 1,000 football pitches worth of land across Plymouth. This includes sports pitches, parks, play areas, wildlife meadows, roadside verges and community spaces.
When we cut the grass
We cut grass between March and September but not every grass area needs the same amount of cutting.
In our parks and in local areas where grass is used for recreation, we regularly cut grass depending on the ground and weather conditions.
Grass that is not used for sport or recreation does not receive full cuts and is managed for nature instead.
We may start cutting earlier or later during the year depending on ground and weather conditions.
How often grass is cut depends on what the area is used for:
- grass used for recreation is cut on a regular close-mow cycle
- sports pitches are cut on a suitable cycle to maintain conditions for play in season
- areas of grass that are not used for recreation or sport we leave the grass to naturalise and grow longer
Grass banks and verges are more useful to insects and wildlife than to people. We keep edges in these areas tidy by mowing a managed edge. We also have over 100 enhanced wildlife meadows across the city.
Grass management map
We have a map to show which areas of grass are cut and which parts are left for nature:
- pink areas - cut on a regular grass cutting cycle
- blue areas - only have the edges cut
- red areas - cut once a year as they are wildlife meadows
Plymouth grassland
We have:
- over 700 hectares of grass
- 76 sports pitches
- 120 wildlife meadow sites
- 22 formal parks
- 127 play areas
- over 2,000 roadside verges and other amenity space
60% of the grassland is managed for people and 40% is managed for nature.
Benefits for people and wildlife:
- increase plant and insect species diversity
- increase carbon capture
- more opportunities for
- connection with nature
- interest and colour in urban environments
- staff to do other green estate works
Watch our videos to show the effect that our policy has on nature:
Letting grass grow longer is better for nature. It stores more carbon in the soil and doubles the species of plant and insect life which helps us combat climate change.
Tell us what you think
If you think an area of grass should be managed differently, you can make a suggestion to us:
We review the feedback at the end of each cutting season.
If an area of grass isn't being cut to schedule or you need to provide other feedback you can make a complaint, or compliment: