§ Lord Stanley of Alderleyasked Her Majesty's Government:
What guidance they give to highway authorities to preserve and encourage the growth of wild flowers on the verges of non-classified country lanes, bearing in mind that May 14th-20th is National Wild Flower Week.
§ Viscount DavidsonUnclassified country roads are the responsibility of local authorities. Department of the Environment Circular 27/87 contains guidance encouraging local authorities to manage sympathetically roadside verges to conserve wild flora. They are urged to seek advice from the Nature Conservancy Council and voluntary bodies.
The Department of Transport is responsible for the trunk road network and provides to highways agents in its Code of Practice for Routine Maintenance guidance about the conservation of wild flora. The Department has commissioned research and produced a handbook for wild flower swards for trunk road and motorway landscaping, which will be made available to a wider public as an HMSO publication. It makes recommendations for management of verges that are also applicable to country lanes.