Highway verges
As part of the Council’s highways and housing grounds
maintenance contract, Broxbourne Services is responsible for
cutting approximately 640,000 square metres of grass verges as
well as the maintenance of approximately 62,000 square metres of
shrub beds, 21,500 square metres of hedges and 15 flower
beds on the highways throughout the Borough.
Due to slow grass growth, scheduled grass cutting has been
suspended until further notice. Broxbourne Services will continue
to monitor the grass in the Borough and will cut where
necessary if ground conditions allow. Resources are now being
deployed on the winter maintenance programme, which includes
pruning and mulching shrub beds, cutting hedges and installing the
spring bedding.
Grass cutting standards
Standard grass in the Borough is based upon a performance based
specification whereby grass should be kept between 10mm and
50mm. Broxbourne Services strive to deliver a quality service,
as demonstrated by the fact our services have been accredited with
a Charter Mark, the Government's national standard for customer
service excellence. Residents are able to report grass related
issues to the Helpline.
Inclement weather conditions may delay scheduled grass
cutting, although Broxbourne Services will strive to resume work as
soon as is practically possible and ground conditions
allow. During these delays it is possible that the grass
length may exceed the maximum specified length. Residents are
advised to be aware of the weather
conditions forecast for the Borough in terms of
any delays to grass cutting.
Types of grass
The types of grass in the Borough that
the Council is obliged to cut can be categorised into three
categories:
1. Standard grass: This
applies to the majority of grass in the Borough, for example
verges. These areas are cut with the larger ride
on mowers and the clippings are not removed from site. The
cutting frequency is approximately two to three
weeks.
2. Boxed grass: This relates predominantly to
areas of grass in the Broxbourne Housing Association sheltered
housing schemes. These areas are cut with smaller mowers and the
grass clippings are removed from site after cutting. The cutting
frequency is approximately two to three weeks.
3. Fine boxed grass: There are 14 sites in
the Borough that receive a lower cut than the boxed grass
areas because of their prime location, such as the Old Pond
roundabout in Cheshunt town centre. The grass clippings are removed
from site after cutting. The cutting frequency is approximately
weekly.