The Housing Executive is changing how it manages some of its green spaces across Northern Ireland. The organisation has become an official partner of the All-Ireland Pollinator Plan 2026-2030. The partnership builds on changes already being introduced by Grounds Maintenance teams to make Housing Executive land more supportive of wildlife.

Among the measures being adopted is reduced mowing in selected areas. This allows plants to flower for longer and provides additional food and habitat for pollinating insects. Grasslands are also being assessed for their potential to become wildflower meadows. The Housing Executive says it is planting 7,000 trees annually to create and improve habitats for native species.

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. 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 the organisation had recently adopted new nature positive strategies, and the partnership showcased its commitment to improving ecosystems and the natural environment. She said effective grounds maintenance management was protecting and creating habitat dense grasslands and planting thousands of native trees. Specific hedge cutting maintenance was also protecting and creating wildlife corridors, while manual weed control treatment was reducing harmful chemicals entering water courses. She said all these actions were beginning to make a real difference to the pollinator population, and it would be exciting to see this work enhanced through the All-Ireland Pollinator Plan.

The All-Ireland Pollinator Plan aims to create a landscape where pollinating insects can find food and shelter 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.

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.

The partnership will provide a framework for the work through to 2030. The practical impact is 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.