Wildflower meadow in Worcester Park, near Greenhithe compared to a ‘building site’

A wildflower meadow has been compared to a “building site” and labelled an “eyesore”.

Flowers have been planted in Worcester Park, near Greenhithe to increase wildlife habitats, store carbon, prevent flooding and boost biodiversity.

It forms part of a Dartford council initiative being rolled out at popular parks across the borough to create room for nature to thrive and local people to relax.

But despite seeing success elsewhere, residents of the Worcester Park Estate have claimed their fenced-off meadow has become an “eyesore”.

Linda Rutledge, 67, and her husband Steve, 71, walk their dog three times a day around the park.

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Linda said: “It was a good idea but has not been carried out properly so it looks like a building site and a desert.

“It is an eyesore right at the front of the park.

“We have even been up in the park on litters picks as it is extremely important to us.”

Another resident, Liz Huxted, 57, said she wondered what the money was being spent on as other areas of the park have been left untamed.

“The grass has not maintained because of no mow May so my dogs come home with tics attached to them,” she said.

“What is being spent with my council tax?”

But Dartford council has defended the wildflower meadow scheme and has asked residents to give it more time.

A spokesperson said: “Our teams are working hard to keep up with the cutting schedule and we’re looking at what improvements we can make to our approach.

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“Our wildflower meadows are proving very popular after they were planted across the borough.

“Some may take a bit more time to grow than others, but we’re continuing to monitor them to make sure they’re beneficial to local people and local wildlife.

“To limit disruption, we’ve planted the meadow at Worcester Park close to other works, our countryside team will continue to check in and see if any additional seeding is necessary.”

Cllr Laura Edie (Green) also noted that wildflower meadows often take time to grow after seeing success with the flowers in another of the chosen locations at Hesketh Park, Dartford.

She explained: “Wildflower meadows actually are best planted in soil that is low in nutrients, as they grow better in these conditions.

“It really depends on the stage of this meadow’s development.”

Wildflower meadows are part of Dartford council’s larger initiative Planet Dartford, which aims to be net-zero by 2030.