Amber Valley Borough Council (AVBC) have undertaken a major tidy up of their green space between Little Fallows/Millers Way and the River Derwent over the past couple of weeks.
The area had become more and more overgrown over the years with large areas of brambles and thistles sprouting and the former view of the river almost completely obscured. Many of the shrubs planted by the original developers had also become large and unwieldy, blocking the light to the nearby homes. Understandably, this had resulted in increasing complaints from the residents. Finally a meeting was held between residents and Blooming Milford members, Rod Repton and Pat Hamilton, with Chris Beale of AVBC in December. Chris promised to do the clearance work in January, and was true to his word as the photos show.
There has been a complete transformation of the area. All the brambles and thistles have been removed and the grass cut, and bushes pruned. The result is a considerably tidier area, more light to the houses, and restoration of the river view. People should not worry that this will become a “green desert” though or the work will be a “one-off”. Chris has promised to do this annually, and this will allow all the wild flowers, bluebells and daffodils that Blooming Milford have planted over the years to thrive and not be choked.
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It should be noted that at the same time The Environment Agency is undertaking major works to strengthen the river bank near the weir. This means the riverside path just north of the R&D building is blocked. Those who wish to walk along the river will have to walk up onto Little Fallows, past the R&D building and back down to the river until the work is complete (end of March).
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