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idverde provides a wide range of green services, including grounds maintenance, landscape creation, and advice services, to both private and public sectors across the UK.
Scrubland is a hugely valuable habitat for a wide range of nesting birds, birds of prey, hedgehogs and other small mammals, slow worms, invertebrates and bats. In Britain, over 450 rare or threatened species are associated with scrub. Scrubland can consist of anything from long grass subject to bramble encroachment, to hedgerows with small fruit trees.
The Bromley Biodiversity Plan outlines the importance of scrub habitat in the Borough as well as the challenges of scrubland maintenance, as a highly fluid habitat that sometimes has a poor public image due to association with dereliction and a lack of awareness of its wildlife value.
In Harvington Estate, a project has been completed in winter 2024/25 for the establishment of scrubland, funded by the Environment Agency and completed in partnership with idverde, Bromley Council and the RSPB. This was sited along the boundary of the woodland and within two newly created woodland glades. Before this, Harvington Estate had principally two habitats: large areas of sports lawn with low biodiversity value, and an abrupt transition to closed-canopy oak and ash woodland.
Scrubland was identified by the RSPB as a missing habitat with much potential value to the existing tawny owl and bat populations on site. Scrubland in this context was designed to create an ecotone between the woodland and lawn areas, with ecotones being the most biodiverse areas of any habitat. Bats hunt for invertebrates along woodland edges and in clearings, among other habitats. Four bat boxes are being installed in these areas to promote their roosting and hunting activities. The resident tawny owl family, living in the woodland’s only veteran oak tree, is also expected to use these areas to hunt for voles, mice and shrews. Tawny owls are an Amber Listed species and all 18 species of bat in the UK are protected by law, along with their habitats. Given the suburban context of the site, hedgehogs are also likely to use these scrubland areas.
The scrublands will be managed through periodic cutting in 5-7 year intervals, in line with Forestry Commission ride management techniques. This will be adapted to the level of growth seen, and will aim to retain different stages of scrubland across the three areas.
The scrubland had a further purpose on this site. Harvington Estate has an ongoing issue with invasive species, especially cherry laurel, snowberry and sycamore. The creation of clearings in the woodland through removing these species was much needed, but to maximise the sustainability of these actions, it was also necessary to underplant with native woody scrub species (including hawthorn, blackthorn, dogwood, elder, privet, spindle, hazel) in order to suppress any future invasives from returning to those areas.
These were planted by members of the public, including the Mayor of Bromley, across two planting days. The tree whips have come into leaf beautifully and we hope the young scrubland will see much use by wildlife this spring and summer.
