Tree removal, replacement and more trees for Streatham!

Green councillors have been informed that the following trees have been inspected by a council Arboricultural Officer and are due for removal because of safety concerns:

1. Abbotswood Road o/s No. 48 : Cherry (small dead tree)
2. Becmead Avenue o/s No. 5 :  Rowan (small tree excessively diseased by fungus)
3. Becmead Avenue o/s No. 49-51 : Silver Birch (small dead tree)
4. Drewstead Road o/s No. 83B :  White Beam (small tree excessively diseased by fungus)
5. Hoadly Road o/s No. 11: Maple (medium dead tree)
6. Hoadly Road o/s No. 22: Cherry (medium dead tree)
7. Mortimer Close (first green island): Cherry (medium dying and unbalanced tree)
8. Pathfield Road o/s No. 34 :  Whitebeam (small tree excessively diseased heartwood)
9. Prentis Road o/s No. 47 : Whitebeam (medium dying tree)
10. Prentis Road o/s No. 56 Rowan (dying and in very poor condition)
11. Riggingdale Road o/s No. 48: Cherry (excessive lean and pedestrian nuisance)
12. Woodbourne Avenue o/s 17: Cherry (small excessively diseased tree)
13. Woodbourne Avenue o/s John Kirk House: Sorbus (small tree excessively hollow)
14. Woodbourne Avenue o/s Post Office: Cherry (small tree excessively decayed and hollow)

Councillors have has assurances that the trees wil be re-planted during the next planting season starting October 2020 through to April 2021. 

Removal notices will be put on the individual trees to inform residents why the trees are identified for removal & replacement.  Arrangements for parking suspensions to facilitate the tree works will also be made as appropriate.

Green councillors have also been working with the council's officers to identify more places in Streatham where trees can be placed.  In particular officers are keen to identify old locations where trees may have once been, but might have since been paved over.

If you know of a location in Streatham that you think could benefit from having trees please get in touch:

JBartley@lambeth.gov.uk, SAinslie@lambeth.gov.uk, NGriffiths@lambeth.gov.uk

More trees for Streatham

We have conducted another "tree audit" of St Leonard's ward and have been working with council officers to get some more trees, including some replacements around the area towards Streatham Hill.  

This is what officers have agreed to put them (before Christmas we hope!)...

• A replacement opposite number 10 (approx) Kingscourt Road where a tree was vandalised and removed.  We are also asking for more trees down this road.
• A tree in Mortimer Close on Drewstead Road. 
• Three trees in Norfolk House Road that have died and need replacing
• Mount Ephraim Lane where residents have asked for more trees (there are a few at the bottom of the lane, but none at all at the top).

Street tree award for Streatham trees

I've been up to City Hall with Anthony Ellis from the Streatham Bridge Business Association, to pick up an award for Streatham's new street trees (picture of us at City Hall last night, with Anthony on the left and me on the right).

Anthony is one of the unsung heroes of the local community who has done so much.

About eighteen months ago (I think it was on the day the Streatham Bridge reopened) we had a long chat and brainstorm together about how we could get more trees in the local area. We were getting lots of requests from local people for trees, but the council had cut its tree budget.

Over a beer we came up with the idea of a bid to the Mayor's street tree fund. We went away and audited areas that needed street trees, and Anthony did amazing work getting together a successful bid.

The result was around 300 trees in local side streets.

The RE:LEAF Tree and Woodland Awards recognise committed individuals, organisations and great projects that have promoted and improved the conservation and management of London's trees and woodland.

More information on the Re:Leaf awards can be found here

Do you want trees on your street?

Many local residents have been frustrated that they haven't been able to get street trees in their roads, because Lambeth Council has cut its tree budget. But if you are in Streatham and want trees on your road, now is your opportunity! (But you will need to move fast).

Thanks to some enterprising work by local people, £67,500 has been provisionally offered to plant 300 trees in Streatham by Groundworks on behalf of the Mayors Street Tree Initiative.

Things are moving very rapidly, and before Friday this week information is required on any empty tree bays, dead trees, or any locations where residents want trees, in the Streatham area.

Also required is any documentation on consultations that have been conducted in Streatham with regard to trees and an estimate of the hours spent doing these, as this can be counted as match funding in kind.

Drop me a line before Friday if you know of any locations which could do with some trees and I'll pass the information on to Anthony Ellis who is co-ordinating the initiative. My email: (Jonathan.Bartley (at) greenparty.org.uk )

New trees at the bottom of Lewin Road?

Following a request from local residents, we have asked TfL if they can put two new trees in the spaces at the end of Lewin Road where it meets Streatham High Road.

Lambeth Council has cut its tree budget so isn't planting any new trees. But because these trees are on a Red Route, they come under Transport for London. TfL have checked and confirmed that they do have responsibility for them.

They have now promised that they "will have them investigated to check that they are viable, and if so will ensure that they are replanted between October and March."

When will the missing trees be replaced on Streatham High Road?

We have asked Transport for London if they intend to replace the five trees which were destroyed in a road traffic collision over the Christmas period, and if so, when they will do so.

At present there is a large gap in the central reservation where the trees used to be.

We are continuing to push for more greenery on Streatham High Road generally, after this was identified as one of the top priorities by local people in a survey a couple of years ago. We also have a long-term campaign to get the speed limit reduced on the High Road to 20mph, which will help ease congestion and improve the flow of traffic, as well as cutting pollution levels. You can see the scale of reported collisions on Streatham High Road in recent years, here.

We will post an update here when we get any information about when the trees may be replaced.

[Update: 14/01/13 We have been told by TfL that they will replace to trees "as soon as possible" but they do not have a date yet. They will let us know when a date has been set, and we'll then post the date here]

[Update 14/3/13 TfL now say that the planting season has been missed and so they wont be replaced until towards the end of this year.  This is what they told us;

"We appreciate the value that the public places on the trees in Streatham High Road and we fully intend to replace them as soon as possible. The trees pits would only have been filled in to eliminate any tripping hazard.

"We do however have a limited planting season for trees, as we must ensure that they have the best chance of survival when planted. Unfortunately the next available opportunity to replace these trees will only be towards the end of this year in the next planting season; and this will also allow us the opportunity to assess the trees currently in place before providing replacements."]