Local Environmental Quality

Thumbnail : The Schmitt machine is used to cleanse the pavements around the city centre : Click image to enlarge

Of course, horticultural planting and conservation are extremely significant to Coventry’s Bloom campaign although the cleanliness and attractiveness of sites, features and displays are of equal importance. Using the latest technology such as the innovative Schmidt machine which is used to cleanse the city’s pavements to the gum boards, jet washers, and road sweepers, the city is maintained around the clock, all year round. Equally important are the state of art CCTV services which are used to survey the city centre along with regular foot patrols, ensuring all activity is controlled.

Areas of high footfall within the city centre including Millennium Place and Coventry University are regularly cleansed by the Schmidt Hot Jet system which has been funded by the Business Improvement District here in Coventry to improve the look of pavements and pathways which are sometimes littered with chewing gum and grease from passing traffic and pedestrians. The high pressure, hot water jet fully sanitises areas, leaving them clean and safe for visitors and residents.

Back in November 2010, year four at ‘Our Lady of Assumption Primary School’ in Tile Hill took time to study ecological matters as part of their topic work. The children intended to assess how many litter bins there were in the city centre and how much litter could be found. The results of their findings showed that the city centre was in fact reasonably clear of waste with a large amount of bins counted throughout. Whilst the children found this very encouraging as part of their project, their suggestions were to introduce more cigarette bins to the city centre along with new initiatives to rid the environment of chewing gum; two of the main concerns they came across whilst conducting their survey. As part of Coventry’s on-going cleansing and maintenance, over the past year, CV One has worked on behalf of the Business Improvement District initiative to distribute 50 brand new cigarette bins to retail outlets and commercial buildings within the city centre. Working with local businesses to create a cleaner environment has since encouraged a vast reduction in cigarette based litter and unsightly mess which in turn is hoped to encourage higher footfall within the city centre and improve the impression left upon residents and visitors alike. Along with this scheme, staff at The Landscape Group work hard with the pioneering Schmidt machine to deep cleanse greased pavements, remove chewing gum and improve the overall look of Coventry’s streets.

Similarly, both CV One and The Landscape Group have worked in conjunction throughout the year with Coventry University to clean areas of the campus by removing chewing gum from key sites and buildings. Work has taken place within University Square, the James Starley building and Maurice Foss building; cleansing these sites of discarded chewing gum has in turn created a brighter, safer and more attractive place to both study and work.

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