Newly planted trees in Roman Road Market
More than 1,400 trees paid for by the council have been planted in Tower Hamlets in the past two years, new figures show, surpassing a target of 1,000 new trees over a three-year period, set in 2022.
The 1,451 new trees, which have been delivered as part of a £1m council programme, can be spotted across the borough – with 702 new street trees, 455 new trees in parks and green spaces, and 294 trees across housing estates.
These new trees are in addition to the 1,976 trees also planted by the council which were funded by a mix of capital and external grant funding, as well as donations by local residents and businesses through Trees for Streets – bringing the total number of trees planted to 3,427 over the last two years.
Around 200 hundred more trees paid for by the council are due to be planted during the upcoming winter/spring planting season.
Executive Mayor of Tower Hamlets, Lutfur Rahman, said:
“I’m so proud that we have not only reached but exceeded our target of planting 1,000 new trees across the borough. Trees and greenery are vital to achieving a cleaner, greener borough.
“This £1m fund will continue to be used to green our borough – we expect over 200 additional new trees to be planted this winter and spring planting season with this dedicated fund.”
Cllr Shafi Ahmed, Cabinet Member for Environment and Climate Emergency, said:
“Trees have such an important role to play in beautifying our public spaces, making our streets and parks better for all. Trees also help to make our borough more resilient against climate change and improve air quality by absorbing pollutants such as carbon dioxide and sulphur dioxide.
“We plan to go further – planting more trees, especially in areas that need more greenery and ensuring that all our residents can enjoy the health and environmental benefits that trees provide for us.”
For more information, you can read our 2020-2025 Tree Management Strategy.
Interested in getting involved in planting more trees? The council partners with the charity Trees for Streets who support residents and businesses to sponsor trees in their local neighbourhood.
If you sponsor a tree before the end of November 2024, your tree will be planted this winter 2024-spring 2025 planting season. You can find out more information here: www.treesforstreets.org/towerhamlets
Posted on Tuesday 8th October 2024