After residents were given less than a week to remove the planters on March St, the Society leapt into action to try to save this much-admired corner of the neighbourhood.
The root causes of the problem (excuse the pun) were more complicated than they first appeared but after meeting with Councillor Meikle and representatives from the Council today, the planters are being allowed to remain.
The Society, Cllr Meikle and Council agreed on the following:
First, we’re pleased to say LES will take no action immediate action on the planters next to the building but would like the small planter at the kerbside removed and the self-seeded butterfly bushes that have grown in the pavement to be cut down.
Environmental Health will be arranging visits to the March St ground-floor flats to assess the level of damp and try to work out if this is caused or exacerbated by the planters.
The Society will work with residents to help carry out the removal of bushes and the kerbside planter. Should the planters be found to cause damp we’ll also work with residents to rectify the problem. We will also be consulting with other groups to clarify the law around the use of planters and similar structures on the public road so situations like this don’t crop up again. Please do get in touch if you’d like to help out with this little bit of guerrilla gardening!
If they’re causing problems with moisture at the fronts of the buildings, then I volunteer to help find a solution.