Trees
We are absolutely committed to retaining as many trees as we can during the regeneration of the Wornington Green estate, however we will unfortunately have to remove some trees in order to deliver new affordable housing.
We care about our customers’ living environments and are committed to listening and responding to their concerns and ideas, while at the same time meeting our social purpose and delivering much needed new homes. We will continue to consider this important balance and find solutions
Trees in Phase 1 & Phase 2A
In order to build the new homes at Wornington Green, Catalyst has had to remove a number of trees. We have been able to retain some original trees and incorporate them on Bonchurch Road.
The below table provides a summary of the trees we’ve planted, retained or removed across the two completed phases:
|
Phases |
New Trees Planted |
Retained Trees |
Trees Removed |
||
|
Unsafe |
Low Category (immature/sapling) |
Moderate |
|||
|
1 |
30 |
9 |
3 |
41 |
21 |
|
2A |
3 |
0 |
0 |
18 |
8 |
Phase 2B
We’ve listened to concerns about the removal of trees as part of the next phase of construction, and we’re working with the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea (RBKC) on a plan that retains some trees and increases the number of new trees to be planted.
Our updated tree plan will see us:
- Remove 40 existing trees
- Plant 69 new trees across Phase 2B, with all trees in the public realm to be semi-mature London Plane trees
- Retain eight existing trees
This phase will also feature nearly half an acre of environmentally friendly green roofs, which will support air quality and biodiversity in the local environment.
Phase 3
Catalyst has reviewed the tree strategy as part of the landscaping approach in our proposals for the third and final phase of the Wornington Green estate regeneration, with more trees retained and planted throughout the phase.
Our latest proposals will see us:
- Plant 41 new trees – 18 more than originally proposed
- Retain 11 mature London Plane trees
The majority of the new trees will be planted in the public realm and will eventually be adopted by the local authority. We’ve been working closely with the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea to ensure that we have an appropriate mix of species and ages that allow for better maintenance and a more bio-diverse and resilient local environment.
We understand that people may feel strongly about the removal of any existing mature trees on this part of the estate.
As part of our new strategy, we closely examined each tree to understand whether there was the potential to retain and preserve them. Our proposals for Phase 3 will now see the removal 33 of the existing trees on the estate.
We have actively sought new viable solutions for each tree on the estate, but unfortunately these 33 trees must be removed in order for us to deliver the new homes and other benefits required within this final phase.
