Newcourt Green is an important green space for people in Charlton Kings. A newly formed Friends group is bringing local residents together to help shape its future, working with the councils to improve access, care for existing features and create more opportunities for wildlife.

Looking after a valued green space

Before the Covid pandemic, proposals to redevelop a neighbouring former garage site prompted local residents to consider how best to protect Newcourt Green. With several plans put forward, people were concerned about the potential loss of part of the Green to a larger car park.

Residents explored registering the Green as a village green, but the process proved complex and approval was considered unlikely. Instead, they pursued designation as a Locally Designated Green Space, using a provision in the National Planning Policy Framework to help protect the area.

The designation helped address immediate concerns, and the idea of forming a Friends group was put on hold.

During the Covid years, two blocks of woodland were planted on the Green, alongside two areas of wildflowers using annual seed mixes. The wildflower areas proved successful, and as the young trees grew, the question arose of how best to care for them and involve local people in decisions about the site.

Residents revisited the idea of a Friends group, with the aim of creating an ongoing link between the community and the councils. There was strong support for the idea, and the group was formed.

Practical improvements for people and nature

Last autumn, a working party began thinning the young trees, following guidance from the council. Bark mulch was added, with the work completed in spring 2026. This helped the trees through the exceptionally hot summer, with very few losses.

The Friends group also identified an opportunity to improve access across the Green. A new footpath linking Newcourt Road and Cirencester Road would make it easier to reach the bus stop and Sainsbury’s Local throughout the year. The proposal was approved by Cheltenham Borough Council and funded by Charlton Kings Parish Council, and the path was completed in early summer. It is already seeing heavy use.

The group is also looking at ways to support more wildlife. This autumn, members worked in partnership with Cheltenham Borough Council’s Green Spaces team to sow a perennial grass and wildflower seed mix, replacing one of the annual meadows that had been lost. The mix is a neutral native meadow mix, containing a variety of wildflowers and grasses, including lady’s bedstraw, black medick, salad burnet, meadow buttercup, red and white campion, wild carrot, cowslip, ox-eye daisy, wild foxglove, common and greater knapweed, musk mallow, self-heal, common sorrel, common St John’s-wort, yarrow and yellow rattle. The mix also includes native grasses such as common bent, crested dogstail, sheep’s fescue and smooth-stalked meadow grass.

The work is part of the Green Spaces team’s wider effort to share locally sourced wildflower seeds across parks in Cheltenham, helping to bring more locally appropriate wildflowers into the town’s green spaces. The aim is to establish a longer-lasting meadow that will provide more opportunities for nature to thrive.

Planning the next steps

The Friends group hopes to hold a site-planning day in December to map existing features, including areas of bulbs that have been affected by mowing. This will help build a clearer picture of what is already growing on the Green and where further improvements could be made.

Working with Charlton Kings in Bloom, Charlton Kings Parish Council and Cheltenham Borough Council, the group wants to develop plans for future tree and bulb planting, additional wildflower areas and potentially leaving some areas unmown. These could provide more opportunities for invertebrates and pollinators to thrive.

Cheltenham Borough Council has also committed to planning quarterly workdays during 2027, giving local people further opportunities to take part in caring for the Green.

Get involved

The Friends group would love to hear from other residents and people who use Newcourt Green. Whether you have ideas for the site, an interest in wildlife or simply value having this green space nearby, your views could help shape its future.

Councillor Paul Baker currently administers the Friends’ WhatsApp group. You can contact him at cllr.paul.baker@cheltenham.gov.uk to find out more.