When was the last time you took a really good look at your local green space and thought about how we can protect it for future generations? In our recent annual nature walk, we discovered how sustainable land management is helping preserve Harpenden Common’s natural ecosystems — as well as providing vital flood defenses for the town.
And what better way to celebrate National Meadows Day (July 5th) than with this guided tour of the common’s meadows and other special habitats, led by the town’s senior green space development officer Alex Melson? This fully booked walk was the latest installment in our varied Our Planet Our Future bimonthly speaker talks programme and introduced us to the common’s wide variety of flora and fauna, as well as its sustainable land management methods.
A blooming wildflower bund made from repurposed soil
The Baa Lambs Carpark might appear an unassuming place to park, but it’s a perfect example of how humans can work effectively with nature. The bund around the carpark was formed from rescued and repurposed soil when works were carried out on site and sown with wildflowers. Now it’s a vital shelter and source of nectar for pollinators in the middle of the vast grassland.
Managing the common’s habitats
As a ‘summer meadow’, the common is cut once a year in summer. If dry, the grass and plants are left on the ground for a couple of days to let all the seeds drop, before being collected and baled.
The soil varies in acidity across the common and can change over time, sometimes very quickly. And it’s not immune to overenthusiastic wildlife either — one year a raven dug up and removed the nutrient rich acidic soil, allowing new seeds to germinate and develop.
The reeds around the pond are home to a wide range of invertebrates and moorhens’ nests on the island. To maintain the area, the management team cuts a quarter of the reeds in and around the ponds each year.Â
Protecting the common for future generations
As well as the natural habitats, we also learned about the ongoing care needed to ensure the common thrives for future generations. For instance, many of its Scot’s pines are aging. As they reach the end of their lifespan, they’ll be replaced by new Scot’s pines which which are currently growing and will be fully grown by that point. Next time you visit the common keep your eyes out for them, as well as junipers and yews, conifers native to the UK.
When it comes to replacing trees, the aim is to substitute them like-for-like. But pests and climate change mean this isn’t always possible or practical. It can be particularly hard to source new oak trees due to policies to reduce the spread of the oak processionary moth – even nearby nurseries are outside the permitted area. In other cases, a changing climate means more drought tolerant varieties of trees are needed.
Repurposing plays a key role in sustainable land management. The popular pathway from the common to the Lower Luton Road through the ponds has been upgraded to an all weather path, with excess soil removed to make a wildflower and wildlife bund next to Baa Lambs Carpark.
Important flood defenses
Harpenden Common doesn’t just provide a range of valuable nature habitats and an unrivalled green space for residents to enjoy. It also provides a vital function by protecting local shops and businesses in the high street from flooding. Rainwater arrives at the ponds via a culvert into a channel adjacent to Southdown Road, where a petrol interceptor screens it to remove oil which forms a film on top. It’s then cleaned further in a series of settlement ponds where reeds and other aquatic plants remove contaminants and provide a home for wildfowl.
The common’s cultural heritage
We were fascinated to learn about the Harpenden Races, horse races held each year on the common until 1914. During the first world war, the Admiralty ordered 32 paddle minesweepers, which it named after the old racecourse paddocks. And later on, the ‘coronation meadow’ hayfield was ploughed and grew potatoes as part of the second world war effort.
The common also provided a safe place for residents around Queen’s Road (formerly Bowling Alley) in a specially built underground facility to shelter from enemy bombs targeting the nearby strategic railway line during air raids.
Get the most out of your next visit to Harpenden Common
Feeling inspired? The Harpenden Common website contains a lot of useful information about what you can see and do on the common, while the Harpenden Common trail booklet has a guide to several trails, including a tree trail where you can spot 18 varieties, three walking trails and a horse riding trail. You can also discover Harpenden’s other green spaces here.
If you’re interested in helping maintain Harpenden’s various green spaces you could join one of the active volunteer groups. If you’d like to find out more about becoming a volunteer please contact Alex Melson, Green Spaces Development Officer, by emailing alexander.melson@harpenden.gov.uk.
Our next event
At our next event, Creative Upcycling, we’ll be exploring how we can keep textiles and furniture in circulation for longer with creative fabric and paint upcycling techniques. We’ll be joined by Woz Designs, Jefferson Eco CIC and The Fabric Folk. Book your free spot here.
About Our Planet Our Future
Our Planet Our Future is Sustainable St Alban’s landmark series of talks and events to help you live a more sustainable life. To keep up to date with all our latest events sign up for the Sustainable St Albans newsletter monthly here or follow Our Planet Our Future on Eventbrite.