Hathern Park - Pasture Lane

The recreation ground is almost certainly the most important green space in Hathern for people of all ages. It provides an area for leisure and exercise, and contributes to people’s health and well-being. Safety has to be a high priority in the management of the site. Other criteria are:

• Keeping the area tidy and attractive
• Promoting beneficial uses.
• Discouraging undesirable activities
• Being sensitive to the flood plain landscape
• Encouraging wildlife
• Controlling maintenance costs

Main beneficial uses are:

• Young children’s play area
• Cricket pitch
• Youth and Sunday league football pitches
• Youth meeting area
• Family picnic site
• General recreation area
• Wildlife copse

Undesirable activities, to be discouraged, include:

• Dog exercising & fouling
• Substance abuse
• Littering
• Vandalism

The area is already covered by a comprehensive grounds maintenance plan, primarily focused on mowing and weed control. However the hedgerows, trees and ditches that form the boundary are currently only subject to “reactive” and not planned maintenance. A phased programme of improvement to the recreation ground and its boundary is already underway.

Remedial Work
This work should be completed within the next couple of years to keep the area in good order.

• Remove elder from hedgerow along Pasture Lane. Treat stumps with roundup. Winter job.
• Clear hops from hedge. Could be done during growing season with ‘weed wipes’ (systemic weedkiller applied directly to leaves) to eradicate completely or manually removed on an annual basis to control.
• Remove some limbs from ash trees along Pasture Lane to improve shapes and allow more light to field maples.
• Raise crown of field maples to a height of 2-2.5m, to improve shape, and allow light to hedgerow underneath.
• Pollard the old willow on the river end boundary of the Park.
• Tidy shape of ornamental bird cherry (near to Pavilion).

Improvement Work
Application for grant aid could be made for the following suggested improvement projects, on environmental, education or community grounds. Any tree planting projects using bare rooted trees should be carried out between November and early March when trees are dormant.

• Complete in-fill planting of hedgerow along Pasture Lane with hedgerow mix (70% hawthorn) with 6 plants/m in a double staggered row. Replace trees taken out during recent construction work. Consider replacing damaged and missing post and rail fencing
• Add specimen trees in far RH corner near Pasture Lane to create a woodland belt. These should be stock of local provenance, and could form part of a labelled native tree collection. Several existing trees could be incorporated. (Education opportunity)..
• Thin out and open up the wildlife area. The blackthorn has taken over, and should be largely but not completely removed (cut down and treat stumps).Blackthorn is an important shrub for early pollination, autumn fruit and dense nesting habitat. Additional species could be planted to improve the wildlife and amenity value of the site eg holly, crab apple. Wild flowers could be encouraged. (Snowdrops, wood anemones). Maintain the existing path round the back, and add other walkways. Nest boxes could be installed. (Wildlife opportunity)
• Install picnic tables at village end of ground. Add a few specimen trees. (Community amenity/health opportunity)
• Provide planting scheme close to gable end of Pavilion to reduce impact of this building.