Gloucester City Council’s Urban Greening Strategy will be considered by cabinet members this week.
The scheme is designed to enhance green and ‘naturalised spaces’ in the city, assisting the council in achieving their aims of tackling climate change, reducing carbon emissions and reaching net zero by 2030.
To boost the local environment, the council plans to identify new planting sites, creating a natural solution to extreme weather conditions such as flooding and heatwaves.
As part of its ‘green ambitions’, the council is also committed to reducing its use of the weed killer, glyphosate, which poses a threat to biodiversity, as well as ‘small mammals and household pets’.
In the cabinet meeting, the council is due to propose a trial that will monitor the growth of glyphosate-free plants, whilst also suggesting that the chemical is no longer used in the city centre and other busy public spaces.
The council has confirmed that residents’ feedback will be welcomed throughout the duration of the trial.
Cllr Sebastian Field, cabinet member for Environment at Gloucester City Council, said: ‘We know people are increasingly concerned about the use of glyphosate and we are committed to doing everything we can to phase it out.
‘By reducing its use alongside our plans to increase the amount of greenspace in our city we will do our bit to try to reduce the alarming decline in insect populations.’
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