III. Species Action Plans - Newcastle City Council

7. Managed Urban Greenspace
7. MANAGED URBAN
GREENSPACE
General Description
This action plan covers all publically and
privately owned areas of managed
greenspace in an urban area and
includes:
(i) Public cemeteries, churchyards,
parks, plantations, shelterbelts,
shrubberies, allotments, street trees,
open spaces, golf courses and playing
fields which are maintained by the local
authority.
(ii) Private gardens, golf courses,
allotments, industrial grounds and
playing fields which are maintained by
individuals or private contractors.
These areas have been broken down
into three major categories of managed
greenspace to help focus conservation
interest:
Parks & Amenity Grassland
Include large areas that are managed
for public use (parks, golf courses,
sports fields, landscaped industrial
sites and open space). Amenity
grassland involves intensive
management with a regime of cutting
and fertiliser application, herbicide
use, watering and drainage. Some
sites may contain trees, shrubs and
flower borders and associated
species found at such sites may
Newcastle & North Tyneside Biodiversity Action Plan
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include song thrush, blackbirds and
hedgehogs. Trees and scrub provide
valuable habitat for a range of birds,
small mammals, bats and
invertebrates.
Gardens & Allotments
These are managed for personal
enjoyment and often contain a variety
of valuable habitats including garden
ponds, wildflower borders and long
grass and shrubs. Such features
attract a diverse range of wildlife
including butterflies, bats,
amphibians, hedgehogs and a range
of birds.
Churchyards & Cemeteries
Churchyards and cemeteries are
potential havens for biodiversity and
often contain large trees, unimproved
grassland areas untouched by
fertilisers, pesticides or drainage and
are relatively undisturbed by people.
This often provides a rich diversity of
wildlife within the urban environment
which ranges from bats and lichens to
a variety of birds. Wildlife benefits
from the various habitat types
provided by both informal and formal
grassland areas, gravestones, trees
and shrubs and deadwood.