Parks and Open Spaces - Flitwick Town Council

PARKS, PLAY AREAS AND OPEN SPACES

If you love the outdoors, there's a fantastic choice of open spaces to explore in the town, from Millennium Park right in the town centre with its exciting play area and Skatepark to the tranquility and beauty of Manor Park with its nature trails and animal sculptures hidden in woodland.

All parks and open spaces are maintained by Flitwick Town Council unless stated otherwise. If you want to know more please call us on 01525 631900.

Tiny Forest For Hinksley Road Recreation Ground

The first Tiny Forest in Flitwick was planted at Hinksley Recreation Ground in February 2024 with the help of 50 volunteers.

Tiny Forests help mitigate the impact of climate change and provide a natural habitat for wildlife that can attract over 500 animal and plant species within the first 3 years!

Funded by Central Bedfordshire Council via the Local Authority Treescapes Fund (LATF), and delivered by environmental charity Earthwatch Europe, we are now looking for Tree Keepers to get involved.

In the centre of the Tiny Forest, benches have been installed where people can relax and enjoy the surroundings, and for schools to use for outdoor learning.

You can find out more about Tiny Forests visit> https://earthwatch.org.uk/program/tiny-forest/

Nature Park

In September 2022 the Town Council adopted the master plan for the Nature Park, a 27.7 hectare open space at Maulden Road.

The Council aim to manage the site as a Nature Park for informal access on foot and by cycle, and to maintain, create and enhance a range of habitats.

In January 2024 work started on preparing the land for phase one of the project which includes lowland meadows, hedgerows, mature trees, woodland, and hazel coppice. Contractors have been mulching the site to remove the grass thatch that has built up. This was followed by marking out the planting compartments including the grass fields.

The Forest of Marston Vale is leading the tree planting element for the project as part of the Trees for Climate scheme, which will provide a one-off grant of £195,000 to create the woodland, plus an annual payment for fifteen years to help manage the area going forward.

The Trees for Climate programme is managed by England's Community Forests and is funded via the Government's Nature for Climate fund. You can read more about the scheme here.

Residents and community groups got involved in a special tree-planting day in February to plant over 2,000 trees.

Nature Park Draft Masterplan

Nature Park Woodland Plan

Heritage works at Manor Park to repair and restore the South Gate (on the A5120 opposite Flitvale) and the ornamental bridge in the arboretum were given planning consent in January 2022. The restoration of the South Gates was completed in May 2023. Most of the work has been funded by Central Bedfordshire Council's Green Infrastructure Planning Obligations Funding. Click here to read more about the work and Manor Park.

In December 2022, a new circular walk opened in Manor Park thanks to the incredible work of the P3 volunteers who have been working for the last 12 months to re-instate a circular pathway at Manor Park, which has not been accessible for over 100 years!

The team has cleared a path through the wooded area adjacent to the roadway and built a new bridge and boardwalk to open up the circular pathway. Click here to read more.

The work is part of a broader plan to help restore the Manor Park to its former glory.

Manor Park Draft Parkland Management Plan

Reduced Mowing in Flitwick

The Town Council continues to support wild plant conservation charity Plantlife's annual 'No Mow May' campaign to help bees, butterflies and wildlife flourish. Our Public Realm team operate a reduced mowing schedule throughout the summer at Station Road, The Mount and Beaumont Road. No mowing takes place at any of the wildflower areas we created in 2021 in Millennium Park, Station Road and Hinksley Road.

In addition, the frequency of grass cutting in Flitwick has changed for the 2023 cutting season. The Town Council will no longer fund increased grass cutting and Central Bedfordshire Council will be responsible for the grass cutting in Flitwick. Both councils are keen to encourage an increase in biodiversity such as planting wildflower in Millennium Park and Hinksley Road Recreation Ground as detailed above and are pleased to extend this initiative by reducing the frequency of grass cutting to the Central Bedfordshire standard.

For more information please contact us. Any feedback on the grass cutting service should be emailed to customer.services@centralbedfordshire.gov.uk or by telephoning them on 0300 300 8302.