Bedford Borough Council has defended the installation of bollards and an “awful” trench at Bowhill Park in the Putnoe area of Bedford, saying it will become part of the landscape once plants begin to grow and more trees are planted.
People living nearby the park told the Bedford Independent they understood the reason for the bollards but were surprised an “awful” trench had been dug along some sides of the park.
“Why could they not have used the posts all around Bowhill rather than just three sides,” said one local man who asked not to be named, “it looks awful, even my 8-year-old grand-daughter has said that”.
A Bedford Borough Council Spokesperson, however, has said the trenches which run along the Bowhill and Braeside sides of the park will “settle in” as grass and wildflowers begin to grow.
The trenches, which they called a “landscape feature”, have been “sown with wildflower mix as part of the Council’s award-winning bugs and bees project to support pollinators,” said the spokesperson.
Read: Bugs and Bees project has improved parks and increased biodiversity says Council
Abandoned caravan
The bollards and trenches were installed to protect the boundary of Bowhill Park from unauthorised vehicle access, which can cause damage to the open space and inconvenience to local people.
Recently a caravan was abandoned in the park.
While bollards run along three sides of the park, including the longest edge on Queen’s Drive, the trenches run along Bowhill from the corner of The Furlong to just before the junction of Queen’s Drive, and completely along Braeside.
The council spokesperson says that ward councillors consulted with local people who showed “overwhelming support for the measures”.
“The decision regarding the type of boundary protection used was based on the number of mature trees and utilities in the ground which dictated whether bollards or a landscape feature was more appropriate,” they added.
“This work is near completion, with removable bollards still to be installed in the pathways which will be in place in the next few weeks,” they added.
The Bedford Independent was also told tree planting will take place during the next planting season at the end of the year.
