Benhall meadow creation scheme

Benhall open space lies to the south-west of Cheltenham town centre covering an area of around 9 hectares. The open space consists of semi-natural broad-leaved woodland following the course of a small stream, the Hatherley Brook. The brook splits part of the way through the park forming two woodland corridors in the eastern side. A large percentage of the site is amenity grassland which is regularly mown, reducing the species diversity. The proposal is to create a wildflower meadow throughout the open space and enhance the marginal planting between the woodland and the meadow.

We asked for your thoughts on the outline proposal and the consultation ended on 17 May 2019.

You can see a summary of the results from the consultation in the reviewed Benhall open space proposal.

Project update

Meadows were sown in 2019. The meadows are taking time to establish due to the damp winter and hot spring we had. The conditions vary dramatically across this large site, so each area will develop in a different way. The green space team will continue to monitor the areas and reseeding will be undertaken where necessary. The shapes of the meadows may change due to changes in usage but the total area will always be maintained. Hundreds of native trees were planted across the site in early 2020 and are establishing well.