Over the previous two summers, in partnership with the Greensand Trust, we have been surveying the green spaces within Luton to form part of the councils Local Plan. This has ranged in sites from neighbourhood parks such as Ashcroft Road Rec to Sites of Special Scientific Interest including Dallow Downs.
Assessing wildlife sites in Luton
Image by Dan Bolt
A spring and summer 2025 update from the Wider Countryside team in Bedfordshire
Image by Dan Bolt
The surveys assess the habitat types across the green spaces, the condition that they are in and any potential for them to be improved through Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG), all written up over the winter in reports.
Image by Dan Bolt
Whilst these sites provide challenges such as large amounts of litter and anti-social behaviour, Luton possesses a range of high quality and important habitats for wildlife, including chalk grasslands on Dallow Downs and Bradgers Hill, ancient woodland in Bramingham Wood and Bluebell Wood, species-rich hedgerows on Foxdell Rec and Bramingham Road and veteran trees in Ashcroft Road Rec and Wanden Park (pictured).
Image by Dan Bolt
The information that we are providing will give a comprehensive picture to Luton Borough Council of the habitats they possess, the opportunities there are to improve them for wildlife, and will hopefully help to improve their green spaces for nature going forward.