Residents have expressed their outrage after a wildflower garden in a Cardiff park was accidentally "destroyed" with trimmers by Cardiff Council's street cleaning team. Adamsdown Councillor Owen Jones said he was "frustrated, saddened and extremely disappointed" by the "terrible mistake" that occurred in Adamsdown Square on Tuesday, May 31.
He has called for an investigation to find out the reason for the error and to ensure it doesn't happen again. Though residents were concerned the team had used a weed killer on the flower beds, Cardiff Council has assured this wasn't the case, and that the plants were simply mowed down and are expected to regrow next year. It added that it apologised "profusely" for the error.
The park was recently been revamped in an £110k redevelopment, with wildflowers planted in sections of the park. Completed at the end of last year, it's improved the local amenity and has been a popular haunt for local residents. Debra Worthing, a resident in Adamsdown Square, whose house overlooks the park, said she and fellow residents are all "deeply upset" by the mistake. You can read all our Cardiff stories here.
"My background is nursing, so it's been great to see people just taking time out and sitting in the park," she said. "It's been very rewarding to see them use the park in that way. It's also an area known for antisocial behaviour. That has been dampened down since the redevelopment of the park. So it's had a positive effect on the community."
She continued: "It was a real feast for the eyes. Myself and other residents would go and sit in the park because the flowers are beautiful. The emotional and mental well being impact of that kind of environment is as well documented." The 40-year-old nurse claimed that she and her neighbours had attempted to intervene when the flowers were being mowed down and alert the council about the error, but they "hit a blank wall".
She claimed she phoned the council at 9.30am on Tuesday, then again later in the day, and emphasised the urgency of the situation - but "no action was taken". She said she also spoke directly to the street cleaning team in the park, including the team's supervisor, but she claimed they they said had not been contacted by the council and were simply following instructions. After submitting a complaint on Tuesday afternoon, she said she finally received a response almost 24 hours later stating her enquiry had been forwarded to the team.
"I felt very disempowered by it all," she said. "Also, the day they were doing the works was May 31, which is no mow May. You couldn't make it up." However, the council has said work was halted in the park itself as soon as practically possible after the issue was brought to their attention and the team was continuing to work in the vicinity over the following days.
Councillor Jones said he was alerted by residents that the team was mowing the wildflower garden on Wednesday, but by then it was too late. "This spring is the first time we've actually seen the wildflowers," he said. "It was an addition that the Council have put in that the residents have liked, so it's really frustrating that this has happened. It's frustrating that when Adamsdown has so few green spaces that this has been allowed to happen in our spaces."
He continued: "Those flowers would have remained for at least two, three more months. So we're missing out on colour in the community. The flowers will return, and the council have ensured they will return because they've promise that they'll do it. But they won't return until next year."
The councillor criticised the "massive miscommunication" between the council departments, as the Parks department was not consulted on the clearance works. "It is frustrating that the council departments have not talked to each other and that has led to this mistake," he said.
A council spokesperson said: “The planted areas at Adamsdown Square have been cut back in error and we apologise profusely to residents and everyone who enjoys spending time in the square. Teams have been reminded of the cutting requirements and maintenance regime for this area to avoid this happening again.
“Work was halted in the park as soon as practically possible after the issue was brought to our attention, with the team continuing to work in the vicinity over the following days.” To get more Cardiff stories sent straight to your inbox every single day, click here.
