Daniel Salliss, Biodiversity and Land Manager for Flagship, says that feedback is ever more positive as the housing provider continues expanding its wildflower meadows scheme

More people are getting behind the idea of wildflower meadows rather than just short-cut grass, a Norfolk-based biodiversity manager has said.

Daniel Salliss, biodiversity and land manager at Flagship – part of Bromford Flagship – said feedback from the housing provider’s meadows programme had been more positive at the end of this year’s season than in previous years.

Mr Salliss said: “This year, we created wildflower meadows in another 120 of the communities we work in across the east of England.

“We’ve had some really nice feedback from people saying they were enjoying the flowers and they thought it looked nicer than before. There seems to be a growing awareness of why meadows are important for plants, for bees and insects and for small mammals as well.”

New to the programme this year were sites in North Walsham, Stowmarket, Leiston and Sudbury. Mr Salliss said they plan to add another 130 sites each year until there was a wildflower meadow on each of the 1,200+ sites Bromford Flagship owns across the east of England.

Flagship’s Neighbourhood teams have been busy with wildflower meadows added to 120 communities this year, including (L-R) neighbourhood operations manager Ryan Cox and gardening team members Gary Baggott, Rebeka Smith, and Jamie Davies in Saxmundham earlier this year

Flagship’s process involves letting grass and wildflowers grow from spring to the end of summer, when it is cut shorter and wildflower seeds are sown for the next season.

In autumn this year, the housing provider surveyed a sample of people who live near one of the meadows. The average score given was 2.72 out of five, up from 2.41 the previous year.

One person said: “I am very impressed how my area is kept so neat as well as allowing for environment to encourage wildlife,” and another said: “We need to encourage bugs to be able to encourage more birds, etcetera.”

Mr Salliss added that listening to feedback from residents was a key consideration to find the right balance for each community. 

He said: "We appreciate that longer grass is a change for some people. We don't want to prevent any access to using green space. There's always that balance to strike between letting nature thrive and making sure people can enjoy these areas."

The meadow programme was awarded the inaugural 'biodiversity recognition plaque' from Cromer Green Spaces last year and was named as a finalist in the national Unlock Net Zero Awards.

Flagship gardener Gary Baggott cuts a path through the meadow, off West View in Kelsale, Saxmundham