On 18 December 2024, I met a representative from a butterfly conservation group, and a representative from Parks and Countryside, on Woodhouse Moor. The representative from the butterfly conservation group was wanting to establish areas of wildflower meadow on eight different Leeds’ parks. These were to cover 2000 square metres each. We already have a wildflower meadow on Woodhouse Moor which exceeds 8000 square metres in size, so I thought that accommodating this person’s requirements would be no problem. But when I arrived at the park, I found that the wildflower meadow had been cleared, and the grass mowed. The representative from Parks and Countryside told me that the wildflower meadow had been cleared as it was planned to plant 390 whips (small young trees) there. But local community groups were consulted in October 2020 about planting whips on the Moor, and it was decided after long debates, that no part of the main Moor was suitable for them. The meetings also decided that Monument Moor and Cinder Moor across Woodhouse Lane from the main Moor, were eminently suitable. But the Woodland Creation team didn’t seem interested in these areas. For them, the planting had to be on the main park. The consultations were organised by Phil Staniforth and Thuja Phillips from Parks and Countryside, and they took part in both meetings, held by Zoom because of the pandemic. After the meetings, the chairs of Little Woodhouse Community Association and North Hyde Park Neighbourhood Association wrote up the findings of the meetings and sent them to Parks and Countryside, and also to the Woodland Creation Team (the group behind the initiative). ¹1 ²2 So, given all of this, why are Parks and Countryside in collaboration with the Woodland Creation Team, planning on going ahead with whip planting on the main Moor? Doesn’t consultation mean anything to Leeds City Council?

Footnotes

1. NHPNA whip report 21.10.2020

2. LWCA whip report 25.10.2020