in Bloom - Redditch Borough Council

in Bloom 

2O1O

Introduction 

Redditch Borough was granted New Town status in 

the early 1960s since which considerable 

development of the urban areas has taken place. 

The town covers a total area of 5435 hectares, 

with the main part of the town covering 3015 

hectares, and has an estimated population of 

95,000. 

There are 1006 hectares of open space across the 

Borough with the Landscape and Countryside 

Service being responsible for the strategic 

management and maintenance of 725 of those 

hectares. This includes two Green Flag parks – 

Arrow Valley and Morton Stanley, as well as the 

newly constructed Overdale Park. 

The Council also manages over 168 hectares (415 

acres) of woodlands. The majority of this area, 

approximately 116 hectares (289 acres), is 

designated as Ancient and Semi-Natural 

Woodland and is divided between 5 major woods 

and several smaller spinneys. 

The major woods are: 

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Pitcheroak – Bromsgrove Road 

Southcrest – Ashperton Close 

Wirehill – Nine Days Lane 

Oakenshaw – Rear of Tesco 

Foxlydiate – Brockhill Drive 

The remaining 51 hectares (126 acres) consists of 

young plantations of mixed conifer and 

broadleaved tree species. These plantations were 

established as landscape/amenity areas and 

noise pollution buffer strips, often separating major 

roads from housing and industrial areas. 

There are 15 allotment sites in Redditch with 790 

allotment plots covering approximately 15 

hectares. There is currently an occupancy rate of 

96%. The size of the plots available varies as do 

the charges which range from £28.35 to £64.05 

per year with concessionary rates for those 

meeting defined criteria. 

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Redditch in Bloom 2O1O

There are also various high profile capital projects 

managed by the Service including the Capital 

Landscape Project, Environmental Enhancement 

Project and Improved Parking Project which aim to 

make fundamental and sustainable change to 

the physical structure and future maintenance of 

the town. This work includes the - primary 

footpaths, underpasses, routes to schools, 

neighbourhood and community areas, addressing 

parking issues, landscape improvements that allow 

for future ease of maintenance and fit the needs 

of the current society. 

The Service also has responsibility for:- 

The Stewardship Scheme/ 

grazing project, 

Planning applications – 

development sites, 

Section106 agreements 

Tree reports 

Planting schemes, 

Insurance claims, 

Benches and signs, 

Ponds and water courses, 

Community and friends groups – 

such as Moons Moat, 

Church Hill, 

Southcrest Woods, 

Rights of Way/ 

country footpaths, 

Bridleways, 

Bio-diversity, 

TPO inspections, 

Capital contracts/ 

project management 

Redditch in Bloom 2O1O 3

Review of past year 

In 2009 the Landscape and Countryside Service 

planted 14,140 bulbs, 2922 trees and 1,415 

shrubs and each year over 40,000 summer and 

winter bedding plants are used. Each year we cut 

1.1million sq m of grass. 39 miles of hedgerow 

and maintain 38 traffic islands. 

The bulbs planted include: 

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Daffodils 

Tulips 

Crocus 

Snowdrops 

New Woodland Planting 

In the past year we have created 2 new orchards 

in the Borough. The orchard at Headless Cross 

was planted by local residents with support from 

Redditch Borough Council. It included the 

planting of hundreds of Daffodil bulbs. The 

orchard was planted specifically with 

Worcestershire varieties as below: 

In addition a new orchard was created at Brockhill 

and included the following species: 

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Tupstones Apple 

Chatterley Kernal Apple 

Black Plum 

King Coffee Apple 

Pitmostan Duchess Pear 

Yellow Eye Plum 

Handwell Souring Apple 

Pershore Purple Plum 

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Pershore Plum 

Worcester Black Pear 

Edward VII Apple 

Tupstones Apple 

Wyken Pippin Apple 

Worcester Pearmain 

William Crump Apple 

Lord Hindlip Apple 

John Downie 

Red Sentinel 

A mini orchard was also planted at Astwood Bank 

Allotments to supplement the new park at Overdale. 

In the year that has been declared as the UN Year 

of International Biodiversity, Redditch Borough 

Council has signed up to the West Midlands 

Biodiversity Pledge which was endorsed by the 

Borough Director and Head of Worcestershire Wildlife 

Trust. 

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Impact 

Within the town centre/Church Green area we 

have 

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70 pole mounted two tier baskets 

28 three tier planters 

28 wall mounted planters 

16 baskets 

This is high visibility impact planting that not only 

provides a traditional style formal landscape 

theme but softens the impact of a mixture of 

architectural styles and colours in and around the 

Conservation Area. 

These planters supplement what is around Church 

Green which is a typical church yard type 

landscape with a mixture of mature trees and 

shrub areas which again are maintained by RBC 

as the area is classified as a closed church yard. 

The planters also serve a practical use in that they 

are mobile so they can be removed or rearranged 

should the town space be required for an event 

and are also used to limit vehicular access to 

areas but in an unobtrusive way. 

We provide bedding to 25 Sheltered Housing 

Schemes and look to create attractive ‘gateway’ 

islands into the Town as well as defined information 

shelters at strategic locations. 


Horticultural Practice 

We have dedicated and skilled horticulturists to 

maintain the Town Centre and other key sites in the 

Borough. They have specific responsibility of 

ensuring that excellent husbandry skills are applied 

to those sites. 

In 2008 Richard Aldington, the Head Gardener for 

the Town Centre, received a commendation in the 

RBC Staff Awards for his part in the enhancements of 

Church Green. 

The Town Centre and other prestige areas have 

beds and planters which have summer and winter 

bedding schemes. We aim to use low maintenance 

and drought tolerant plants such as Geraniums, 

Begonias, Ageratum and Cineraria. The planters all 

have water reservoirs in them which will help with 

lowering the watering maintenance that is required. 

All bedding plants are recycled by composting and 

returning them to the beds where they provide 

nutrients for the new plants. 

We have a mixture of high quality floral displays in 

designated areas which enhance the herbaceous / 

perennial planting. 

The use of drought tolerant plants and those 

capable of withstanding well drained soil is already 

given due consideration as part of our plant 

ordering. Nine varieties of the winter and summer 

bedding order are tolerant of well drained soils as 

were 45 of the 61 species of trees and shrubs. 

We actively support traditional vegetative 

management techniques such as hedge laying 

which not only continues the green landscape and 

encourages re-growth and bio-diversity, but also 

allows us to address issues such as passive 

surveillance without resorting to the removal of 

established hedgerows. 

In September 2008 the Commemorative Gardens 

in Plymouth Road were chosen as one of three 

finalists in the Best Municipal Garden Category at 

the inaugural Worcestershire Life and Herefordshire 

Life Garden Awards. In June and July of 2008 the 

readers of the magazines were invited to 

recommend their favourite private garden, 

municipal garden, wildlife garden and more, a 

panel of judges then whittled down the 

nominations to three finalists in each category. 

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Residential & Community Gardening 

Environmental Services assists various community 

groups involving all age ranges to improve their 

community and the environment by planting bulbs 

in various locations across the town. These 

included, Matchborough District Centre, Ibstock 

House and Chiltern House which are sheltered 

housing schemes. 

As a result of a major failure with an adjacent 

electrical sub station, E.on donated money to 

Keats House Sheltered Accommodation and 

Environmental Services constructed a new garden 

based on designs from the residents. 

There are 15 allotment sites throughout the 

borough with over 790 tenants. There are 9 active 

allotment associations who have now formed the 

Redditch Allotment Association. In 2008 we 

increased the allotment rent with the primary 

objective of creating additional revenue to be 

used for the enhancement of all the sites. For 

example, 3 of the sites do not yet have piped 

water supplies and the increased popularity of 

allotments means that we will have to undertake 

work to clear previously unused areas of sites to 

meet demand. The increase in popularity has also 

seen an increase in female gardeners with many 

families now having plots worked by all members, 

including children. 

We have one plot tended by a gardening group 

from a local school. This is a very successful plot 

and is included in the school curriculum. 

We are currently working with the residents of Beoley 

Road Sheltered Housing to create a community 

garden with raised beds which will cater for their 

needs and enable them to take part in healthy 

outdoor activities with their neighbours. 


Business Areas & Premises 

In July 2007 a Crime Risk Audit Report was carried 

out by the Police in the Unicorn Hill area. Further to 

this report changes were made to the lighting in 

the area with the installation of a new white light 

scheme, this was the first of its kind in the County. 

In conjunction with Kingfisher Shopping Centre, 

Worcestershire County Council and the Police 

other improvements were made to reduce 

problems in this area. These included the 

provision of bespoke planters to discourage 

gathering, pruning of trees to ensure white light 

and CCTV were effective, removal of a wall and 

pruning of shrubs overhanging Bates Hill. A 

proposed scheme for the Town Centre includes 

the greening up of Unicorn Hill. 

Redditch Crematorium is located to the north of 

the town and the grounds cover 18.5 hectares. It 

is specifically orientated to allow for the large 

picture window in the Chapel to provide 

expansive views of the well maintained grounds 

and surrounding rural area. At the adjacent Forge 

Mill Museum, major capital improvements to 

increase awareness of the site and to enhance 

the landscape within the complex have taken 

place. 

Redditch Borough Council has recently 

undertaken an extensive consultation process 

resulting in the development of a long term Town 

Centre Strategy which aims to enhance the area 

and will seek to drive the economic development 

of the centre as a whole. An intrinsic part of this is 

the Church Green Improvement Project which is 

working in tandem with St Stephens Church. The 

church is undergoing a process of re-ordering and 

Redditch Borough Council is working with the 

church to enhance its surroundings as well as 

creating a viable amenity space outside the main 

shopping centre that will not only be attractive but 

will be a functional multiple use site. 

This includes giving due consideration as to how 

the area links to the train station and bus station as 

well as ensuring that the Town Hall, Palace Theatre 

and College are successfully integrated in to the 

improvements. A major part of the Project 

concerns the physical landscape, both hard and 

soft, and work is underway to develop a theme 

that is not only achievable over a period of time 

but is sustainable in the longer term. This 

necessitates that all relevant policies are given 

consideration and that the proposals included for 

enhancements not only meet our own standards 

in terms of materials and high maintenance 

specification but will incorporate our future 

aspirations with regard to Heart of England in Bloom. 

8 


Draft proposals are in place for the main area 

covered by the project and further plans will be 

drafted for the peripheral areas – such as the land 

by the train station where we hope to create a 

“gateway” feature to the town. 

The recently established Feckenham Traffic Group 

is aiming to improve the traffic flow and overall 

street scene throughout the village. Environmental 

Services are working in conjunction with the group, 

Parish Council , Highways Authority and other 

Council Services including Conservation and 

Planning Officers to achieve the objectives of the 

group. 

Redditch has several large water features, 

including lakes, ponds and the River Arrow. The 

main amenity attraction, Arrow Valley Lake has a 

privately operated Sailing Club. Arrow Valley 

Countryside Centre houses Youth Afloat which is a 

charitable organisation recognised by the Royal 

Yachting Association and approved by the British 

Canoe Union. Youth Afloat carries out a wide 

range of activities including dinghy sailing, 

windsurfing, kayaking, canoeing, bell boating, raft 

building, orienteering, archery, mountain biking, 

and team building activities. 


Green Spaces 

There are two major parks in the Borough, Arrow 

Valley Country Park and Morton Stanley Park. In 

2009 both parks received the prestigious Green 

Flag Award administered by Keep Britain Tidy and 

awarded in recognition of the quality of green 

spaces and their management. Both parks play 

host to events and activities, the majority of which 

are free. 

Overdale Park was completed in June 2009. The 

site was a very overgrown unused area adjacent 

to the allotments. Ecological site surveys were 

carried out by the Landscape Team and extensive 

consultation was undertaken with local residents 

for them to express their preference as to the 

design and function of the space. The 

development of this site was necessary as there 

was no ’formal’ open space within the locality. 

Local landscape architects and contractors were 

employed and materials were sourced from local 

suppliers. The project was managed by the 

Landscape Team, no waste was generated and 

all organic materials were re-used on site, with the 

project being delivered on time and under 

budget. We have entered the newly constructed 

Overdale Park to Green Flag this year for 

assessment. 

Overdale Park before 

Overdale Park after 

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Woodland Management 

There are 30 woodlands and plantation sites 

currently included within the Woodland 

Management Programme. The management 

objectives for each of the woodlands and 

plantations vary, being led by the needs of local 

residents, conservation best practice and ideal 

silvicultural management systems. 

Community Woodland Planting 

Species planted this year in the Arboretum are 

listed below. 

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Giant fir 

Field Maple 

Silver Birch 

Copper Beech 

Maidenhair tree 

Wellingtonia 

Red Oak 

Whitebeam 

Common Yew 

Black Walnut 

Strawberry Tree 

Beech Tree 

Cedar of Lebanon 

Mountain Ash 

Weeping Sliver Birch 

Magnolia spp 

Verge Maintenance 

Redditch Borough Council has drafted a new set 

of service standards for all maintenance 

operations including different mowing regimes for 

grass areas. These Standards will allow for differing 

maintenance schedules appropriate to the 

location. They will also enable a more 

co-ordinated approach to maintenance to ensure 

that operations are either carried out 

simultaneously or in sequence. This is particularly 

relevant to the highway maintenance where 

various tasks are undertaken at the same time 

which include, grass cutting, forestry work, weed 

spraying, litter picking and road sweeping and are 

planned in advance to make maximum use of 

the legally required highway closures. 


Conservation & Biodiversity 

Wet System at Arrow Valley 

Swan Rescue 

Arrow Valley Countryside Centre uses a wetland 

system to treat all waste water emitted from the 

building; toilets, showers and rain water from the 

roof collect in storage tanks around the building. 

The water is transferred 350 metres away to a 

series of four pools located in the Millennium Wood 

area. The water filters into the first pond which is full 

of reeds, the solid waste settles out in the pool and 

the bacteria living on the roots of the reeds alters 

the chemical compounds in the water allowing 

them to be taken up by the plants. The reeds and 

Willows planted around the margins of the pools 

filter out most of the nitrates and other chemicals 

in the water. As the water transfers through soil 

banks between each pool it is cleaned further and 

by the fourth pool the water is of a quality which is 

drinkable. 

Each year on average 25 – 30 water fowl are 

injured on lakes and ponds in Redditch. The work 

of rescuing the injured birds is carried out by the 

charity Swan Rescue. Redditch Borough Council 

formally support this local charity group which 

carried out this time consuming but important 

work. All healthy birds are returned to the water 

once recovered. 

Wetland ecological treatment (WET) systems such 

as the one at Arrow Valley are classified as low 

entropy systems, meaning that the carbon 

footprint for constructing and maintaining the 

wetland is minimal. Water companies often treat 

waste water through reed beds but, use vast 

amounts of concrete and gravel which is imported 

onto the site from elsewhere. The series of pools 

constructed at Arrow Valley were dug out from the 

existing field and the mounds constructed around 

their perimeter were mostly made up from the 

spoil left over. A small amount was imported from 

local construction sites to make up the remainder. 

The WET system supports a large variety of flora 

and fauna and is a vital habitat for many species 

of Dragonflies. All of the plants in and around the 

pools are native to Britain. Purple Loosestrife, Water 

Forget-me-not, Water Plantain, Typher to name but 

a few. The fourth pool is also used by local school 

groups for pond dipping activities, making it an 

important educational facility. The educational 

value is also recognised by university groups and 

an example of best practice by the Worcestershire 

County Councils Planning Department. 

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Stewardship Scheme 

There is an existing Countryside Stewardship 

Scheme running at Bordesley Abbey Meadows 

whereby we graze a herd of Longhorn cattle. The 

hay collected from designated areas across the 

Borough is used to supplement their feed. 

This year we have secured a new Environmental 

Stewardship Agreement with Natural England (part 

of DEFRA). This agreement is for the management 

of three important wildflower meadow areas, two 

of which are located in Arrow Valley Park, whilst the 

other is in Morton Stanley Park. One of the 

meadows in Arrow Valley Park, Proctors Barn, has 

been declared a Local Nature Reserve. The 

Environmental Stewardship Agreement for these 

meadows will enable a suitable management 

regime to take place on these meadows, 

whereby allowing the wildflowers and grasses to 

grow and set seed before an annual hay cut is 

taken in July. The newly awarded Environmental 

Stewardship Agreement will provide grant aid of 

£4,500 per annum over a ten year period to 

Redditch Borough Council to fund the Scheme. 

The Redditch Mid-Week Volunteer Group carry out 

a range of practical tasks to improve wildlife and 

access issues within the parks, woodlands and 

open spaces. They meet for one day in every 

week throughout the year. The group often 

consist of over 15 volunteers working on various 

tasks. This year has included planting of the new 

orchard at Brockhill. They have also planted a new 

200 metre hedgerow comprising of native shrubs 

and trees on the same site as the orchard. The 

group has also completed the construction of a 

bridge allowing access over a deep ditch within 

Oakenshaw Wood. Other work has included the 

coppicing of an acre of woodland within Wirehill 

Wood. 


Water Courses 

Redditch has a number of water features and work 

has been undertaken to ensure that these areas 

are able to support wildlife and are maintained as 

important amenity features. We have created 3 

small new ponds at Arrow Valley Country Park 

adjacent to the balancing area to increase the 

range of wet-land habitat within the park and 

therefore the bio-diversity of the site. 

We have carried out dredging work at Oakenshaw 

Spinney, Southcrest, Beoley Mill, Batchley and 

Matchborough ponds with the major project being 

undertaken at Arrow Valley Lake where large scale 

revetment was carried out to the south bank. This 

was specialist work that had to be undertaken 

entirely from the water and included the 

installation of bank stabilisation, coir rolls 

containing suitable marginal plants as well as the 

construction of 33 new fishing platforms including 

those for disabled use. 

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Resource Management 

Green Waste 

Arisings created as part of our scheduled and ad 

hoc work is chipped and placed on the shrub 

areas as a mulch and weed suppressant. When 

required quantities of chippings are also utilised on 

equestrian routes and allotments 

Redditch Borough Council has a contract with a 

local company called Organic Recycling. Last 

year 450 tonnes of arisings were converted in to 

compost resulting in a return of 30 tonnes of 

compost being given back. 

The cordwood / logs from ad hoc tree works are 

stored and subsequently sold to the public. 

The timber created from the woodland grant 

scheme is sold to commercial companies and is 

used to part fund the scheme. 

Recycling 

Redditch Borough Council offers a bulky collection 

service for residents to dispose of large items such 

as cookers, sofa’s and beds. The cost to residents 

is £15.30 for 3 items. We have recently 

introduced a bulky re-use service. Any item that is 

considered re-useable will be collected and given 

to a local charity called Boomerang who sell on 

such items at minimal cost. An additional benefit 

of this new service will reduce the amount of 

waste going to landfill. 

Garden waste collection 

Redditch Borough Council are currently running a 

pilot scheme allowing residents to have their 

garden waste collected for composting. Items 

collected are grass cuttings, twigs, cut flowers, 

hedge clippings, leaves, small plants and windfall 

fruit. 

Redditch Borough Council positively encourage 

and educate people on the benefits of recycling 

via various mediums one of which includes the 

County Council Recycling Bus. There are 19 bring 

sites across the Borough, collecting a variety of 

materials, such as glass, cardboard and clothing. 

96% of households are on an Alternate Weekly 

Collection. Residents can recycle on the kerbside: 

plastic bottles, thick card, more types of plastics 

and waxed cartons, aluminium cans, food cans, 

newspapers. The ongoing 100% Project aims to 

facilitate the collection of recyclable materials 

from properties where access and the movement 

of material is restricted -for example, the Town 

Centre flats. 

Item 2009/10 Tonnage 

Glass Clear 51.971 

Glass Brown 32.391 

Glass Green 65.202 

Paper/Card 645.464 

Cans 9.2 

Textiles 56.92 

Tetrapak 5.1 

Plastics 32.595 

Shoes (reuse) 6.3575 

TOTAL 905.14 


Local Heritage 

Forge Mill 

This historic site illustrates the rich heritage of the 

needle and fishing tackle industries. Models and 

recreated scenes provide a vivid illustration of how 

needles were once made, and how Redditch 

once produced 90% of the world's needles. The 

Mill is a listed building which houses original water 

powered machinery. It is unique in that it is the only 

water powered scouring mill left in the world. 

World renowned Shakespeare fishing tackle have 

been established since 1897, and the hi-tec 

company Surgicraft – surgical instrument 

manufacturers - continue the tradition of 

manufacturing needles and similar instruments in 

Redditch. This local heritage is symbolised by the 

Needle sculptures which are a gateway feature to 

the Town Centre. The locally important Batrleet 

family who have resided in the town since the 19th 

century have been producing needles since their 

arrival. 

Bordesley Abbey 

Just a short walk from Forge Mill are the ruins of 

Bordesley Abbey; a medieval Cistercian Abbey, 

which has been extensively excavated. The Visitor 

Centre tells the extraordinary story of the Abbey 

from its early development in the 12th century to 

its destruction in the 16th century by Henry VIII, 

during the dissolution. 

In 1140 a group of Cistercian monks from 

Garendon Abbey in Leicestershire were granted 

land in the Arrow Valley by Waleran de Beaumont, 

Count of Meulan and Earl of Worcester. This 

enabled the monks to found Bordesley Abbey 

and turn the Arrow Valley into a place suitable for 

a monastery. Bordesley means 'the place where 

boards were obtained'. 

Excavations show that the first buildings were 

made of wood, but within a few years they 

replaced it with stone buildings. You can see 

evidence of how the Abbey changed as you walk 

around - from the early plain green sandstone to 

the more ornately decorated later red sandstone. 

In 1538 Henry VIII dissolved the monastic houses 

and Bordesley was demolished and the estates 

sold. The ruins remained buried until JM 

Woodward (tutor to the Bartleet family) first 

excavated them in 1864. In 1969 the Bordesley 

Abbey project team began a programme of 

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excavations. Many of the objects and findings of 

the excavation can be seen in the Visitor Centre. 

The Fountain within the shadow of St Stephens 

Church, in Church Green was a gift to the town 

from the Bartleet family to celebrate the arrival of 

a piped water supply. The fountain was produced 

in Coalbrookdale and is unique. It was installed in 

1883 with a cast being taken around 6 years ago. 

A full restoration programme took place in 2003 to 

return the fountain to its original condition. 

A further link between Bordesley Abbey and St 

Stephens Church is that part of the original Abbey 

flooring is currently laid in the Chancellery of St 

Stephens. 

Plymouth Road Memorial Gardens 

The Memorial Gardens were originally laid out in 

1925 by John Gibson Blakey who was under the 

instruction “we must not forget the men of 

Redditch who have given their lives for our 

country”. 

The notable local industrialist, Edward White 

designed and manufactured the entrance posts 

to the site. When major refurbishment work was 

undertaken at the gardens, we wished to ensure 

that this historical link with the industrial heritage of 

Redditch was not lost. It was decided that the 

existing gates would be enhanced by using exact 

copies of the Edward White posts manufactured 

out of modern materials. This would be 

complimented by railings of a bespoke design, 

and manufactured by a local blacksmith, that 

would enable the existing and new entrances to 

become defined focal points. The two original 

posts would then be erected at The Forge Mill 

Museum to become part of the exhibits where, 

coincidentally, the water wheel was designed and 

built by the same Mr White. 

Those involved in the refurbishment programme 

have included:-The Royal British Legion, Where 

Next Association, West Mercia Police, Local 

Residents, Landscape and other specialist 

contractors, Community Safety and various 

Council Departments. 


Palace Theatre 

The Palace Theatre first opened its doors in August, 

1913, and was described as a miniature opera 

house of classic design able to accommodate 

660 people. The theatre was constructed by G C 

Huins and Co, boasting every modern facility of the 

day at an estimated cost of £9,000. 

The Palace Theatre used to be a Cine-Variety house 

which combined films and variety entertainment. 

Until 1929, the Palace ran a mixed bill of fare, but in 

February of that year, it was being advertised as 

Palace Super Cinema. In April 1930 a Western 

Electric Sound System was installed and ticket 

prices were raised to 6d (Pit) and 1/-(circle), due to 

the cost of installing the new Talkie apparatus. The 

theatre reverted back to be performance based in 

the late 1940’s. 

The Borough Council took over the management 

and running of the building in 1985 and undertook 

a 4 million pound refit of the historic Edwardian 

Theatre, which was completed in 2006. As one of 

only six working theatres left in the country that can 

be wholly attributed to its famous architect Bertie 

Crewe its heritage and pedigree makes the 

Palace, architecturally a theatre of national 

importance. 

The refurbished theatre, with its luxurious and hi-tec 

interior can now accommodate 425 people in 

accordance with modern requirements. 

Moons Moat 

Moons Moat is a Scheduled Ancient Monument 

dating from the 1300’s which is nestled within the 

urban environment of Church Hill. The site would 

have been originally constructed by the lord of the 

manor or someone suitably important. The 

recovery of an Edward II penny and cooking pots 

during the archaeological dig of the 1970’s 

substantiate this assumption. In its earliest 

construction the site had a bridge and a stone wall 

to its boundary. In the 16th century the moat was 

rebuilt and extended together with the construction 

of a new bridge, however the site was abandoned 

by the 17th century. 

There are several local legends connected to the 

site including a murder and a buried chest of 

treasure. 

In 2005/6 the site benefited from the Local Heritage 

Initiative and the newly formed Moons Moat 

Conservation Group successfully obtained 

£27,000 of funding that provided de silting, tree 

works and a school educational pack. The group 

are still actively researching the site and provide a 

local interest group. 

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Local Environmental Quality 

The Cleansing Team are responsible for keeping 

Redditch clean which includes the emptying of 

over 700 litter and dog bins across the Borough on 

a weekly basis. There are set schedules for litter 

picking and mechanical sweeping of major 

footpaths and roads. 

Redditch is lucky enough to have 103 volunteer 

litter pickers who collect several bags of rubbish 

each a week. These are collected by the 

cleansing operatives or are recycled by the 

volunteer using their own home collection. 

Redditch has 3 enforcement officers who deal 

with all abandoned vehicles, fly-tipping and dog 

fouling reports. All of Redditch is monitored by a 

Waste Management Officer who reports monthly 

on all such issues and collects data for the 

relevant Performance Indicators. 

Regular litter picks take place around the Town 

organised by the team and manned by 

volunteers and Councillors. The service also has 

an annual clean up day when staff undertake 

work to improve and cleanse a site. Last years 

clean up day took place in Oakenshaw and 

Southcrest Woods with 25 staff and volunteers who 

were accompanied by inmates from the local 

prison as part of their rehabilitation programme. 

One of the major tasks was to remove as much 

rubbish as possible from the pond in Oakenshaw 

Wood. We also undertook the reconstruction of 

some steps in Southcrest Wood using recycled 

road planings and aggregate. 


Pride of Place 

We have formal and informal signage around the 

Borough, depending on the context of the site. 

You can find interpretative signage around 

locations such as Forge Mill and Bordesley Abbey. 

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We are also trialling ‘greener’ signs made from 

timber harvested from our own sites. 

Hard landscaping 

Part of the Capital works requires co-operation with 

Housing, Waste Collection Services and the 

County Council Highways Authority. Right are 

examples of where we have been able to address 

issues created by the New Town development 

design principles which did not allow for high 

volume vehicular access and parking of so many 

vehicles. By creating defined hard standing and 

waste collection areas, we have been able to 

modify the sites in accordance with modern 

needs. 

Art in the Landscape 

A project is currently underway to brighten up bus 

shelters across the town. Pupils from Birchensale 

Middle School and Trinity High School have 

designed images, in conjunction with a 

Birmingham based arts group, which will result in 

colourful panels being installed at selected 

locations. 

Currently underway is a capital project to convert 

an area of unused open space within a high 

density housing area into a community “park”. The 

design incorporates the ideas collected from the 

residents as part of the consultation process and 

includes bespoke stone sculptures. 


Community Participation 

This is our first year entering the competition; 

however we are striving to ensure that the ethos of 

the competition and the diverse manner in which 

it can be incorporated throughout this and other 

services becomes part of our normal working 

practices. As such, it is now part of the Town 

Centre Strategy and Enhancement Project and is 

a key deliverable within the service plan. The 

competition is in keeping with the Councils core 

objects in providing a Clean, Green and Safe 

Borough. 

Ongoing projects. 

➤ Dolben Lane Community Park 

➤ Improved Parking Programme 

➤ Capital Landscape Project 

➤ Town Centre Improvements 

➤ Probation Service and Hewell Grange / 

Working Out Programme 

➤ Allotment Competition 

➤ Headless Cross Green 

➤ Moons Moat Project 

➤ Stewardship Scheme 

➤ Brockhill Woodland 

22 


Environmental Services strives to meet the Councils 

core objectives by being focused on the inclusion 

of interested parties and the general public. We 

are custodians of the landscape and as such we 

have a duty to inform, include and communicate 

to the residents of the town at every opportunity. 

We currently have various forums which enable this 

to take place. We have carried out an Equalities 

Impact Assessment for the Parks and Open 

Spaces which can be found on the Council’s 

website. These assessments will be carried out for 

other areas of the service as well as the continued 

inclusion of groups associated with individual 

projects or locations for example; 

Redditch Open spaces have several active friends 

groups who carry out various tasks throughout the 

year, which include, tree and bulb planting, site 

maintenance and informal monitoring of the sites 

on our behalf, reporting any issues to the Officers. 

These groups are: (List as in document. 

Friends Groups 

➤ 

➤ 

➤ 

➤ 

➤ 

Southcrest Woods 

Morton Stanley Park 

Pitcheroak 

Salop Road 

Moons Moat 

All of the groups carry out tree planting and site 

maintenance and carry out informal monitoring of 

the sites on our behalf, reporting any issues to the 

Officers. 

Other mediums we use to communicate with the 

public are - 

➤ 

➤ 

➤ 

➤ 

➤ 

➤ 

➤ 

➤ 

➤ 

➤ 

Redditch Matters – quarterly magazine 

delivered to every household in the 

Borough 

Press releases in local papers 

Worcestershire Walks Magazine 

Public consultation in areas were projects 

are to be carried out 

Redditch Borough Council Website 

www.redditch.whub.org.uk 

Letter / leaflet drops 

Staff and Councillor roadshows 

Facebook and Twitter 

Local radio 

Notice Boards around parks and allotments 

All events and educational activities for the 

Countryside Centre and Forge Mill Museum are 

advertised on the website. Leaflets are available 

from these locations as well as the Information 

Centre at the Palace Theatre. 

Heart of England in Bloom is now a key 

objective and is endorsed by Council 

Members and staff who wish this Authority 

to achieve recognition within the 

Campaign. It is therefore our intention to 

seek funding and support for future years 

submissions which will allow us to 

develop and strengthen our abilities to 

meet the Heart of England in Bloom 

criteria.

in Bloom - Redditch Borough Council

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