Maintaining our green spaces

We maintain green spaces across Cheshire East, including:

• parks
• sports playing fields
• cemeteries
• green spaces in housing estates
• adopted roadside grass verges

Maintenance schedules and policy

Find out how we maintain your green spaces.

• Green spaces maintenance policy (PDF, 2MB)
• Green spaces maintenance - site schedules (MS Excel, 211KB)

If you are unable to open the schedule above, you can also view the site schedules in Google sheets.

What the policy covers

The policy explains how and when we maintain different types of green space. This includes,  how often grass is mowed and shrubs and hedges are cut back, and the level of tree and flower bed planting. 

This helps us deliver a consistent standard across Cheshire East.

We have considered which green spaces bring the greatest value to local communities. This helps decide the level of maintenance we provide..

To support our carbon neutral ambitions, the policy promotes biodiversity and reduces the environmental impact of maintenance work. Some areas are allowed to become more natural, and some low-use areas are cut less often. This allows grass and wild plants to grow and creates more habitats for wildlife.

The policy only applies to land maintained by the council's environmental services team. It does not cover:

• adopted highways
• larger country parks

These areas have separate maintenance arrangements.

Why we have a maintenance policy

The policy helps make sure green spaces across the borough are maintained to a consistent standard. It also supports biodiversity and reduces the environmental impact of maintenance work.

Like many councils, we face rising costs, increasing demand for services, reduced government funding and uncertainty about future national policy.

Because of this, we must continue to increase income and reduce spending so we can protect essential services for residents who need them most.

Maintenance of green spaces we do not own

We identified more than 400 green spaces across the borough that we had been maintaining but do not own.

We have stopped maintaining sites where the council is not the registered owner.

We no longer maintain land where the council is not the registered owner unless it is needed for the safe operation of the public highway.

If you are interested in buying green space

If you want to buy land that has previously been used as green space, open space, park land, a highway verge, a highway visibility splay, or other publicly maintained land, you should proceed with caution.

Before buying the land, seek independent professional planning, surveying and legal advice. This will help you understand:

• the true value of the land
• whether it can be used for another purpose
• whether development may be possible
• whether planning permission is likely to be granted

If you buy the land without getting advice, you may find that:

• you paid more than the land is worth
• you cannot use the land for the purpose you intended
• you become responsible for maintaining the land and any trees on it

You may also become responsible for health and safety issues relating to the land, maintaining highway visibility requirements, and dealing with any statutory utilities that run beneath it.

These factors may make it difficult to sell the land in the future.

Footpaths not classified as Public Rights of Way

If a footpath is not classified as a Public Right of Way, the council does not have a maintenance obligation that overrides land ownership.

This means the council cannot simply choose to maintain the land regardless of who owns it.

This applies to many informal footpath networks across the borough.

Additional maintenance of our green spaces

You can apply to carry out additional maintenance on council-managed green spaces.

Apply for third party green spaces maintenance

Third parties must have at least £1 million public liability insurance to cover maintenance activities.

Activities not permitted

The following activities are not permitted under this agreement:

• work to existing trees, including felling, pruning or crown lifting. Cheshire East Council will continue to carry out these works
• installing hard or paved surfaces
• installing cabins, containers or similar structures
• installing street furniture, such as benches, bins or bollards
• installing fixed play, sports or outdoor gym equipment
• installing signs
• installing utilities, services or site lighting
• installing fencing, hedging or other barriers that prevent access to, or restrict movement around, the site
• excavating more than 300mm below existing ground level
• creating water features or changing existing watercourses

Some activities listed above may be allowed at specific sites.

You must apply in advance for permission to carry out these activities. Email LetUsKnow@cheshireeast.gov.uk and we will pass your request to the Environmental Commissioning team.

Policy approval and implementation

The Green Spaces Maintenance Standards Policy was approved by the environment and communities committee on 1 February 2024, following a public consultation held in autumn 2023

The following checkboxes are used for accordion drop-downs. When selected, they show content that was visually hidden following a public consultation held in autumn 2023.

The policy came into effect on 1 April 2024. It provides a framework for maintaining green spaces across Cheshire East, including parks, sports playing fields, cemeteries and green spaces in housing estates

Contact Environmental Commissioning team

Email: LetUsKnow@cheshireeast.gov.uk and all enquiries will be passed to the Environmental Commissioning team.