A "POLLINATOR project" to encourage the growth of wildflowers on grassland at the edge of a Kendal estate has upset residents.

People living on Heron Hill are furious about South Lakeland District Council's decision to cut the grass between Canal Head and Oxenholme Road just once a year to allow wildflowers to thrive.

They claim that the uncut areas are an eyesore and that, rather than wildflowers, weeds have grown in the spaces. These include invasive species such as Japanese knotweed and Himalayan balsam, which they say have encroached into gardens that back onto the land.

They also claim that vandalism in the area fell when the grass was kept short, as visibility was improved along the old canal path.

David Armstrong, who lives close to the allotted areas behind Kendal Leisure Centre, said: "For a number of years we had a lot of antisocial behaviour in the area. We worked with the then-mayor Tom Clare and community police officer Roy Davidson to keep the grass cut regularly and have the streetlights put in.

"About three years ago we noticed that the maintenance started to slip. I wrote to SLDC to ask why, but we never got an answer.

"Then, in September last year, I was told they had been experimenting in not cutting it. They decided this without telling anybody."

The council are giving 10 metre by 30 metre sections of land - which have been fenced off - to different school groups so they can monitor the wildflower growth as part of a scientific project. Nearby Kirkbie Kendal and Heron Hill schools are involved.

Chris Walker, whose garden backs onto some of the land, said: "Last summer, when they left it to grow wild, what we found growing was nettles, dockings, lag weed, Himalayan balsam and Japanese knotweed.

"These are invasive species. If you have these growing it is incumbent on you to control them so it doesn't get on other people's land," he said.

"The council have also said that the wildflowers will improve the cycle path. But they are digging up the embankments on Oxenholme Road - which are home to wildflowers which help the bees - to build another cycle path.

A spokesperson for SLDC said: “The area alongside the cycle track between Dunmail Drive down to Change Bridge has been allocated to a wildflower regime. The edges alongside the cycle track and also the path to the end of Dunmail Drive will be cut on a three week cycle but the main area will not be cut until early September.

“South Lakes Action on Climate Change (SLACC) in partnership with SLDC, Kendal in Bloom and Kendal Town Council, is working on a schools’ pollinator project at the site, with low rail fencing erected to divide up ‘plots’ allocated to schools.

"The pupils will plant the areas with wildflowers during the three-year project, which is being run by Active Learning to help the children understand more about the importance of biodiversity.

“Any outbreaks of notifiable weeds will be treated and any Himalayan balsam will be cut before seed pods develop. At this moment no notifiable weeds have been identified at this site, which is regularly monitored.

“We also have regular liaison with our police colleagues and no issues have been raised about any increase in anti-social behaviour in this area as a result of the longer grass.’’