Love Lane Wildflower Meadow

PEN are currently managing this site for PDC, as they do in Millennium Woodland and, using volunteers, sensitively maintain the site. PEN will use native flora to restore the site to a semi natural woodland and wildflower meadow with open access for the community to enjoy.

The site is a semi natural woodland and semi improved pasture of about 2 and half acres on Love Lane. The pasture land would be improved as a Woodland Edge Habitat which is excellent for wildlife and will leave an open wildflower meadow area that the local community can also enjoy.

The steep slope that runs alongside Love Lane have benn planted with trees that do not grow too tall (<15m) yet provide valuable food source for wildlife such as Hazel, Rowan, Blackthorn, Elderberry, and Field Maple. The middle section would has been managed as a meadow, introducing native wildflower species that are suitable to West Penwith possibly with a few stands of trees for shade and beauty. The species that are currently dominant in the semi improved pasture are Ribwort plantain, Creeping buttercup, Yorkshire fog, Cock’s foot, bramble, Broad-leaved dock and bracken. The diversity of the meadow area will be increased by planting native wildflower species suitable for a traditional meadow.

The strip that runs alongside the river is a flood plain and therefore would be best suited to willow. There is already natural regeneration of Alder amongst the bramble which is also a suitable species and these will be left to grow. To address the security threat that residents of Alexander Gardens feel the cutting down of the brambles would ensue, Hawthorn and Blackthorn are being planted along the river bank to create a barrier between this side of the river and the properties of Alexandra Gardens.

An important feature of this project are work days where members of the community are invited to attend and help to create and manage the space. The type of activity suitable for this would be: tree planting, mulching, composting, path maintenance, pond creation, wildflower planting, and meadow grass cutting. The work days would be family orientated and inclusive to all members of the wider Penwith community. We would also like to have days when local pre-school and school children come onto the site. Members of PEN are interested in using the site as a tool for environmental education.

The project would seek to restrict the growth of any invasive species growing at the site, especially those that are not native, these include Japanese Knotweed and the Spanish variety of Bluebell. The scrub area will be cleared and then replanted although some small areas of brambles will be left, as they can provide a habitat for nesting birds and small mammals as well as being a valuable food source, their growth will be contained.

The area beside the river would also benefit by the addition of a pond. This was suggested in the Ecological survey and it would provide a habitat for frogs, newts and birds. The pond will only be created once the rest of the site has been completed, this will be within a five to ten year span.

Love Lane Meadow is currently funded by the Liveability Fund.