Park maintenance

Trafford is home to 92 parks, with the One Trafford Partnership responsible for maintaining and improving play areas and other park assets across the borough. Trafford currently has eleven Green Flag Award parks. The Green Flag is awarded to a park or green spaces that showcases a well maintained and clean space, biodiversity and heritage, community involvement and more. 

Every year, a programme of improvements is agreed to identify improvement works across parks and green spaces. Over the last five years, approximately £1.1 million has been invested into keeping Trafford play areas safe and open for the enjoyment of children across the borough.

Maintaining parks - what we do

We have a dedicated team who maintain parks and green spaces all year around. This means:

  • We aim to cut grass 14 times a year, every 2 to 3 weeks between late March and October. We keep to this schedule when we can, but we can't cut grass if it's very wet.
  • The team use large mowers to cut an open area of grass, which can take more than one day to complete. If needed, we return later to use smaller machinery to cut around trees and other obstacles such as bins and benches. We aim to do this twice a year.
  • Since introducing a reduction in the use of glyphosate, we have now stopped weed spraying in all public parks, green spaces, grass verges and cemeteries. This includes spraying around trees, bins and benches. This means these may now look a little different, as the grass is left to grow around them for longer. Find out more about our commitment to reduce glyphosate spraying.
  • Grass cuttings that fall on public footpaths are blown back onto the grass, but we don’t collect grass from open areas.
  • Ornamental feature beds are maintained to provide floral displays between June and October in Denzel Gardens, Flixton Gardens, Longford Park and Stamford Park.  
  • We aim to trim hedges, between February and March before the bird nesting season. Then again in August and September where required, if not done earlier in the year.
  • Where required, footpaths are edged, once a year over the winter months.

Where we don’t cut the grass

We don’t cut grass: 

  • On land that is privately owned
  • Where we're keeping the grass long to attract bees and increase the number of areas where bees can live in the borough. Bees naturally feed on the flowers made by long grasses and wildflowers. As bees are in danger of becoming extinct, we want to leave the landscape as friendly as possible for bees, butterflies and other pollinators where we can  
  • On properties owned by London & Quadrant Housing Trust (L&Q). You should contact L&Q if you live in one of their houses and have a question about cutting your grass. Contact L&Q
  • On properties owned by any other housing association or landlord. You should speak to them directly if you've a question about cutting your grass

Tree management

Our Tree Management Unit are responsible for the management, inspection, and maintenance of all council owned trees throughout the borough. See what they do on our tree management page.

Report an issue

If you find an issue in one of our parks report it to us online.