Some familiar issues are emerging in our neighbouring borough that we are already having to deal with in Brent. The Green Party's GLA candidate for Brent and Harrow is taking up the issue of loss of trees through developments.
Harrow Green Party is standing against the Kodak site developers
planning application to Harrow Council, requesting the removal of 26
existing trees along Harrow View Road. The 26 trees proposed for
removal are mature, well established trees (some 80 years plus), from a
wide range of different tree groups, including Flowering Cherry, Norway
Maple Crimson King, Apple, Common Lime, Silver Birch & Cherry
Laurel. A number of these trees are also protected by Tree Protection
Orders (TPOs), which should mean they are legally protected from cutting
down, topping, lopping, uprooting, wilful damage or destruction. In
addition, the developers are requesting clearance of several areas of
self-set trees & heavy pruning of a number of other well-established
trees.
On what is already a very busy, overdeveloped and congested road leading into Harrow, Harrow Council should be doing everything it can to preserve the remaining trees we have so we do not end up with an ever more polluted, concrete corridor. These are mature trees with a rich and complex ecosystem, something that cannot just be replaced by planting new trees. Trees bring huge environmental benefits to every urban area, including, improving air quality, helping support people's health and mental wellbeing and providing an important habitat for wildlife.
Emma Wallace, Green Party candidate for Brent & Harrow GLA candidate says,
Harrow Council declared a climate emergency in the summer of 2019 and has committed to protecting Harrow's environment and its trees in its Climate Change Strategy 2019-2024. It would be a betrayal of these commitments and extremely short sighted of Harrow Council to remove these precious, mature trees. Harrow Council must reject this application.
Since Harrow Green Party highlighted this planning application, there has been an overwhelming response, with over 300 objections now submitted. You can read every one of the 300+ objections and the reasons people have given as to why these trees must not be removed, under 'Documents' on the Planning Application.
Please add your objection to the application on the Harrow Council site, here.
3 comments:
The beautiful trees that stood outside Old Brent House are just a distant memory, as are the ones that decorated the High Road, and the 5 that were planted outside Brent House on the island between lanes, using money from the Olympics.
Regarding the large London Plain on the corner of Cecil Avenue and High Road in Wembley on the site of old Copland School which has a TPO and has had for over 25 years and despite vociferous protest against removal from Brents Tree Officer, this is also set for removal by the developer of the site. This means that Planning and Developers have little or no regard for a TPO, which renders the legislation worthless and not worth bothering with. It seems there is no end to the destruction of our natural environment, irrespective of what Borough they are in.
Also all the trees at Mahatma Gandhi House and around 20 in the road next to it were hacked down during nesting season with just a couple of weedy replacements after years of polluting construction works - traffic is increasing yet more and more trees are disappearing - another great legacy from Brent Council!!!
Anon,
I hear you loud and clear.
I moved to this area 30+ years ago because I loved the Neighbourhood, nice little town, good shops, loads of trees and great parks and outdoor spaces.
Oh I loved Wembley Park, sad to say it's now Wembley NoPark, gone have all the beautiful trees, the sound of the birds tweeting early morning, gone forever, just concrete, cladding and no amenity. Hey ho they say's its progress, but not for our future generations growing up with no outside space to play.
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