Housing Executive changes how green spaces are managed to give wildlife room to thrive

Pictured at the Housing Centre’s own beehives in Belfast are the Housing Executive’s (L/R) Robert McClean, Stephen Lowry, Jennifer Hawthorne, Ronnie McCreanor and Conor McCombe.

The Housing Executive is changing how it manages some of its green spaces across Northern Ireland, with reduced grass cutting, new wildflower areas and thousands of trees being planted each year as part of efforts to support bees and other pollinators.

The organisation has become an official partner of the All-Ireland Pollinator Plan 2026–2030, building on changes already being introduced by its Grounds Maintenance teams to make Housing Executive land more supportive of wildlife.

For tenants and communities, some of the most visible changes could be areas of grass deliberately being allowed to grow longer, alongside the identification of suitable land for wildflower meadows and new tree planting.

Less mowing and more habitat

The All-Ireland Pollinator Plan aims to create a landscape where pollinating insects can find the food and shelter they need within every 200 metres.

First introduced in 2015 and coordinated by the National Biodiversity Data Centre, the initiative is now supported by 129 partners including councils, public bodies, businesses and landowners across the island of Ireland.

The Housing Executive said its participation complements work already under way through its Corporate Sustainable Development Strategy and Action Plan.

Among the measures being adopted by Grounds Maintenance teams is reduced mowing in selected areas, allowing plants to flower for longer and providing additional food and habitat for pollinating insects.

Grasslands are also being assessed for their potential to become wildflower meadows, while the Housing Executive says it is planting 7,000 trees annually to create and improve habitats for native species.

Changes go beyond bees and wildflowers

The approach also includes changes to how hedges, weeds, waterways and surface water are managed.

Non-chemical methods are being used to treat weeds and moss in an effort to reduce potentially harmful chemicals entering watercourses, while hedge-cutting practices are intended to protect and create wildlife corridors.

Housing Executive land is also being assessed for potential Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems (SuDS). These are designed to manage rainfall more naturally, potentially reducing surface-water flooding while improving water quality.

Jennifer Hawthorne, Director of Housing Services at the Housing Executive, said the partnership would strengthen work already taking place.

She said:

“We are delighted to become an official partner of the All-Ireland Pollinator Plan 2026-2030.

“After recently adopting new nature positive strategies, this partnership showcases our commitment to improving the ecosystems and natural environment around us, essential for the pollinators that we all depend on.

“Through effective Grounds Maintenance management, we are protecting and creating habitat dense grasslands and planting thousands of native trees.

“Specific hedge cutting maintenance is also protecting and creating wildlife corridors, while manual weed control treatment is reducing harmful chemicals entering our water courses.

“All these actions are beginning to make a real difference to our pollinator population. It will be exciting to see this work enhanced through the All-Ireland Pollinator Plan as we all come together to make our communities a place where our pollinators can thrive.”

A different approach to public green space

Pollinators play an important role in natural ecosystems and food production, but their survival depends on having enough flowering plants and suitable places to feed, nest and shelter.

That means the Housing Executive’s approach is not simply about planting wildflowers. It represents a wider change in how some publicly managed land is treated — including allowing selected grassed areas to become more natural rather than maintaining uniformly short lawns.

The partnership will now provide a framework for that work through to 2030, with the practical impact likely to become increasingly visible in Housing Executive green spaces as reduced mowing, habitat creation, tree planting and more nature-friendly maintenance continue across Northern Ireland.