Buxton councillor gets almost 750 responses to Pavilion Gardens geese survey

High Peak Borough Councillor Madeline Hall led a survey into people’s thoughts on geese in the Pavilion Gardens and had 740 responses.

She said: “The geese in the gardens cause a lot of people to feel very emotive and a lot of people have very strong feelings about them but we need to take a step back and make sure we have all the right information before we look at the next steps.”

A formal goose count was conducted in the Pavilion Gardens back in 2019 and concluded there were 95 birds.

Madeline says she has now done her own informal count and spotted 118 birds including eight goslings.

She said: “It’s unusual for the geese to roost and breed in the park, more generally they fly back to Errwood or Combs then return when their young is grown. This may be an exception, but perhaps new behaviour is in the wind?”The results from her survey show 45 per cent have some reservations about geese in the park.

With regards to feeding the geese in the gardens she says it was a 50/50 split of people in favour and those against.

She said: “There was a full panoply of views expressed from ship them back to Canada or kill them all, through to leave them be, if you don’t like them go elsewhere.

“Many comments along the lines of this one; ‘I do like having the geese in the gardens but the volume of droppings around the park is becoming a problem’.”

She said it is clear the numbers have gone up, and now they need to look at what to do.

“The next step is a walk in the park with local naturalists, councillors and a council officer. Then there will be factual briefings and further consultation on options that emerge.

“There could be a range of trials with different approaches.

“It doesn’t have be drastic like culling the birds it could be something as simple having a step over fence that the birds can’t get over as they like to take off and land in water and make a designated picnic area which would be free from geese poo.”