One housing association has found a creative solution to maintaining land by leasing sheep to help with the task. These quirky creatures now call home a four-and-a-half-acre site in Rhos on Sea, Colwyn Bay. Cartrefi Conwy, a housing association, owns the land. They’ve been using sheep to graze the long grass around these derelict office buildings, keeping the area looking neat and cared-for while they wait to begin their new housing project.
The space boasts an incredible history, having housed federal agency offices for more than 70 years. It’s proud of settings that came to be in those last few years of World War II. These buildings were planned, built, and readied to be an emergency hospital and never used as such. Today, ten semi-permanent resident sheep help maintain the site while creating a beautiful and intimate pastoral setting. This amendment has been met with jubilation from surrounding residents.
Local resident and sheep garden neighbor Tracy Baguley told us how much she loved these woolly visitors. She went on to tell the ways their arrival has contributed in making her feel like she’s escaped to the bucolic countryside.
“I feel like I’m in the countryside. We look over the hedges quite often just to see the sheep. We like it – we get a taste of the countryside,” – Tracy Baguley
Baguley noted that the sheep have been silent and unobtrusive. Their lyrical calls provide a charming counterpoint to the typical city clamor.
“I quite like hearing them. It’s better than all the traffic – that’s for sure,” – Tracy Baguley
Cartrefi Conwy’s choice to use sheep to keep their land tidy fits perfectly with the company’s overall sustainability mission. Dan Hall of the housing association emphasized the importance of vigorous site maintenance as long as plans for development are in the works.
“It was apparent, given the vastness of the site, that we needed to be having some sort of sustainable maintenance of the site whilst we developed our plans,” – Dan Hall
To him, it’s obvious that using sheep is the perfect solution — right in line with their carbon-neutral agenda. It offers a green, low-noise, economical alternative to land maintenance.
“So this fitted in with our carbon neutral agenda. But also it was a low noise, cost-effective way of maintaining the land,” – Dan Hall
As plans for the new permanent housing development continue, the sheep will hopefully be back to graze next spring. It would allow them to get back to work hopefully for at least a second season. The initiative focuses on the issue of tall grass. It’s adding a surprising slice of country charm to an area long defined by rows of urban commercial development.
