MORE wildflowers could be planted around Westbury and the local area to attract wildlife and brighten the town.
Wiltshire Council is asking residents to identify areas which would be suitable to plant wildflowers, to create diversity for bees and insects.
And Westbury Town Council has pledged to ensure that planting in the town is bee and insect friendly.
The town council now looks after local parks and other land – a role it has taken over from Wiltshire Council – and is to make sure any work will help support bees and insects . It will also encourage developers to do the same.
The ‘put wildlife first’ initiatives follows on from other councils in the country, including Rotherham, who went viral online for creating wildflower verges along major highways.
Bridget Wayman, cabinet member for highways at Wiltshire Council said, “Wildflowers certainly add to the beautiful Wiltshire landscape in the summer and we know many people like to see them while they’re out and about enjoying the sunshine.
“We’re happy to speak to any member of the community and town and parish councils to identify spots in their local areas where they feel a wildflower area would be suitable and see if we can work together.
“We will also be running trials next year which will include wildflower provision. We will be looking for people’s feedback as some may view a conservation area as being unsightly and unmanaged, so we need to get that balance right.
“We cut verges as late in the season as possible to promote diversity, and any identified as having special or rare species could be classed as a ‘protected road verge’. We would encourage people to visit http:// wsbrc.org.uk/wildlife-recording/survey-schemes/protected-road-verge-scheme/ for more information on that scheme.”
If you have an area in the town that you would like to see included in the project, contact centralhighways@wiltshire. gov.uk.
