15 Nov Pyracantha bushes in St Mary Magdalen Churchyard

How do you feel about the pyracantha hedge in St Mary Magdalen Churchyard? The pyracanthas are the prickly evergreen shrub with orange, yellow or red berries in the corner of the churchyard by the white door. We hear from the Parks team that they continue to be  pressed to cut back the pyracantha hedge back to a low height as the tall bushes seems to invite people to gather there in the corner for some anti-social behaviour. Previously, the Parks team were asked to cultivate the hedge as it protects the boundary fences of the houses that back onto the churchyard there. One of the anti-social behaviours is apparently that people in the park throw syringes over the fence into the rear yards and gardens.

So the tricky question is would cutting back the hedge discourage people gathering and so reduce syringe-throwing, or would it invite more needle-throwing as well as compromising privacy for residents. If you have views or suggestions, do let us know. Email hello@bermondseystreet.london.

Now I’m told that people are throwing syringes into the gardens but I fear the problem may worsen it the vegetation is removed. Can your group help us to gauge the residents’ collective views, please?