F**king Cotoneaster

“F**king cotoneaster” is a phrase that many Land Managers might use today, but in the 1970s and 1980s ‘f**king cotoneaster’ was more commonly heard in architects’ offices, during conversations that started “We need a plan for landscaping this trade park…” and ended with “Just put f**king cotoneaster everywhere”.

And now there is f**king cotoneaster everywhere.

Modern Land Managers bemoan the plant for taking over areas of planting, for gathering litter, sheltering vermin and spreading quickly to new areas, particularly because of the attractiveness of the berries to native bird species. What’s more, the legal implications of having the plant on your land are a significant headache for Land Managers and Developers alike.

In 2010, five species of cotoneaster** were added to Schedule 9 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. Schedule 9 is a list of plants controlled in England and Wales, such that causing or allowing the plant to spread in the wild is considered an offence, and the plant material and soils associated with them are classified as controlled waste. The costs for removing this plant and the implications for land value and potential liability if the plant spreads outside your land are not insignificant.

So when you ask one of our specialist surveyors to visit your site for an invasive species survey, hopefully there is no f**king cotoneaster…

Mike Clough

 

 

** The species listed on the Wildlife and Countryside Act Schedule 9 as of 2010 are:

Cotoneaster (Cotoneaster horizontalis)

Entire-leaved cotoneaster (Cotoneaster integrifolius)

Himalayan cotoneaster (Cotoneaster simonsii)

Hollyberry cotoneaster (Cotoneaster bullatus)

Small-leaved cotoneaster (Cotoneaster microphyllus)