Newham Council is delighted to receive a £297,000 grant from the Forestry Commission to plant over 400 trees and hedgerows to help tackle the borough’s climate crisis.
Planting will start this November in areas with insufficient tree canopy starting in parks, followed by residential streets, estates and schools, finishing in late February.
Cabinet Lead for Environment, Highways and Sustainable Transport, Councillor James Asser said:
“Newham has one of the lowest levels of tree coverage and we know that residents are keen to see that change, so we are delighted to receive this grant from the Forestry Commission to help us change that. It will contribute to our work increasing the number of trees across Newham and continuing our work to transform our borough into a greener, cleaner and more environmentally friendly place to live where residents can feel healthier and happier.
“Trees bring huge benefits, providing shade and lowering temperatures in hot weather, reducing pollution and helping with drainage. They also improve the local environment, making the area a more pleasant place to live.
“As world leaders make crunch decisions about the climate crisis at COP26, we are committed to doing all we can to tackle climate change in our borough. Thanks to this funding, we will be able to plant more trees, small hedge plants and hedgerows in our parks, streets, housing estates and schools from this month until the end of next February.”
Parks and green spaces will include- Brampton Park, Gooseley Recreation Ground, Central Park, Plashet Park, Priory Park, Cundy Recreation Ground, Canning Town Recreation Ground, King George V Park, Plaistow Park, May Green, Valetta Grove and Chandos Open Space.
Working with Trees for Cities, the Council saw 9,000 saplings planted in Beckton in 2019 and a further 1500 saplings planted in Little Ilford in 2021. This contributes towards increasing London’s tree canopy by 10 per cent by 2050. Together with the GLA we have planted 712 trees in the Royal Docks area, 313 in wards with an insufficient tree canopy cover, and a further 288 trees planted on our highways and residential streets. This is in line with the Mayor’s ambitious approach to tackling the climate emergency, improving air quality, and greening the borough.
The Council has made substantial progress in its ambitious five-year Air Quality Action Plan which seeks to reduce pollution in and around schools, and extend school audits; improve walking and cycling infrastructure and support regular car free days and temporary road closures in high footfall areas.