The Ferry Lane Willow Tree

This beautiful willow should have been given full protection before work started on this massive site on Ferry Lane Estate. Some people may remember its magnificence shading the pub as they walked or cycled along the towpath next to the river. As you can see from the picture(s) no care was taken and they hacked off great boughs because they were in the way of the building! This tree will become a 'nuisance tree' as it is too close to the building. How did the plans get through the planning process? The site is so massive allowing the tree just a bit more room would not have involved much less profit.

Cranes in trees in Cranley Gardens

Trees are in the way of deliveries on this site in Cranley Gardens although they are all supposed to be protected on any building site according to British Standards, but that needs monitoring and enforcement. Don't hold your breath.

The Imaginary Tree

Press release from Tree Trust for Haringey and Cranley Gardens Residents Association

The Imaginary Tree:

Haringey Council’s tree policy is put to the test

Haringey’s policy for the management of Council-owned trees is being put to the test by an Isle of Man company responsible for the development of new houses on the site of the former garden centre in Cranley Gardens, Muswell Hill.

A garage has been built immediately behind one of the street’s cherished cherry blossom trees. Haringey Council has now received an application to have a vehicle crossover constructed exactly where the tree is, which would necessitate its removal.

That would however be contrary to the Council’s policy which states:

‘Permission to remove trees to allow for new crossovers will not be granted except in extenuating circumstances or there is a good arboricultural reason to do so.’

(Tree Strategy 2008-2011, Section 5.4 vehicle crossovers)

The garage got planning permission, but only on the basis that there wasn’t a street tree in front of it.

Haringey’s development control should be able to confirm that planning permission was gained with the street tree being deleted from the planning application and the developer answering ‘no’ to the question on the planning application form asking whether any trees need to be removed or pruned to carry out the proposal. The application went before the Planning Inspectorate too, at which stage the developer appealed for planning permission on the basis that ‘all those trees currently existing in the surrounding area will be retained’.

The tree that isn’t there but ‘needs to be removed’:

“The Council does have a robust tree policy and the fact that the existence of the street tree shown in the picture was denied in the planning procedures does not give the Council carte blanche to contravene its own policies. It beats me how this has gone through to this stage, but it would send the wrong message to developers everywhere if Haringey Council allowed the removal of this tree” says Peter Corley, Chair of Tree Trust for Haringey. “The young tree was planted some years ago to replace one which was damaged by a vehicle collision and can be seen to be in a good condition despite damage inflicted on it since construction works began”.

Picture of the tree taken 26^th September, 2009:

Haringey Council’s view is that ‘trees play an essential role in towns and cities providing a wide range of environmental, economic and social benefits. Some benefits are measurable – such as improvements in air quality, many are not, but they can have a positive impact on the lives of those living and working in the urban environment.’ (http://www.haringey.gov.uk/index/environment_and_transport/leisure_nature_and_conservation/nature_and_conservation_trees/treestrategy.htm

Death in the garden - by the Old Schoolhouse

The pictue shows the pathetic patches where three carefully nurtured seedlings had been planted out to eventually take the place of the older trees. These seedlings had thrived and were healthy but then someone took a dislike to them.

Fairly soon the big trees here will be gone and despite all the many plantings and ceremony, all that will be left will be a junkies' bench surrounded by fast food and drinks containers on a barren patch of grass. If the council can afford it, there might be some flowers in the beds, but pretty flowers have little impact on air quality and heat islands. Do you still think that a nice bench in the dark attracts nature lovers and is a human right which must not be removed?

the pipers' legacy in Tottenham Lane

Essential works maybe but the roots of this lime could have been protected to avoid unnecessary damage to the tree. As it is, time will tell if the tree has sufficient reserves to survive the loss of nearly half its fibrous roots and then having alkaline concrete replace the medium in which they had grown. There used to be a thing called NJUG (National Joint Utilities Guidelines) which recommended methods of protecting tree roots exposed during trenching works. Still, our society doesn't manage to protect babies, so who is going to bother about trees?

The picture shows the remnants of the tree's roots coming from the right, under the concrete and the trench cover.

Tree Pit Uses

This tree pit housed a nice new tree until the local resident decided he hated trees and removed it. Although the Haringey Tree Section wrote to all the neighbours about the proposed planting, not a soul contacted them to voice their objection. This picture taken in August shows how quickly opportunist plants can taken a hold. Note the particularly upright mode of growth of the as yet unidentified specimen. Sadly, like most environmental crimes, this one went unpunished. Thanks for the nice flowers, seed guerrilla.

Zebra at N17

Designed for environmental crime: This zebra crossing is a boon for peds but what about the poor old tree? This layout says 'Don't bother to use the very expensive paving we (you) have provided, just take the shortest path between two points, compact the soil and make the place look ugly. We have qualifications to make these decisions for you and if the tree dies we have lots of money to plant a new one. Or perhaps we could just pave it all over with non-permeable imports and save the trouble.'

limes in concrete

muswell hill road, at the top of wood lane, N6
the mafia came along recently and gave these limes some concrete boots [Tilia spp]

is this normal?

decapitation

what happened here?! snapped alder in lordship rec