Destroying the trees

[Swan545644]

Bellenden road topiary trees

Will be cut down, pulled up and destroyed.

Southwark council have decided.

Please support me in trying to stop them by emailing me at the above address or post a thread.

Thanks,

Lucy

[wulfhound]

Why are they doing it? Any reason given?

[Swan545644]

They are building a new school and the architects are clearing away the trees to make another garden

[Swan545644]

Good afternoon Lucy

Dee has forwarded me the email from you below re the topiary at Old Bellenden School. As you may be aware, the existing building is going to be extended to allow for a new 2 form of entry school, to be opened in September 2016. The works are scheduled to commence in Summer of this year, and the planning application was submitted last week.

The architects, Haverstock, have been working closely with the council and the Dulwich Hamlet Educational Trust who will be running the new school, to create a design for the school that maximises the space for the students who will be occupying the building. It is a tight site, so any external space available needs to be maximised as much as possible for the benefit of the students. It has therefore been proposed that this front area of the site, which is currently occupied by the topiary trees, would be used as an external learning space/garden, which would be managed by school staff when in use. The proposals for the scheme are included in the planning application, which is now valid and can be found on the council?s website under the link below. The council has a statutory duty to consult on planning applications, and the planning officers would welcome any comments you have in relation to the proposed works.

http://planningonline.southwark.gov.uk/AcolNetCGI.exe?ACTION=UNWRAP&RIPNAME=Root.PgeResultDetail&TheSystemkey=9558529

Do let me know if you have any further queries.

Kind regards

Rebecca McTier

Capital Projects

Chief Executive's Department

PO Box 64529, London, SE1P 5LX

T: 020 7525 4808

From: Lewis, Dee

Sent: Tuesday, January 13, 2015 2:40 PM

To: McTier, Rebecca; Long, Richard; Page, Julia; Brown, Andrew

Cc: Shelley, Patrick

Subject: FW: Trees at Bellenden

Fyi and should you like to liaise with Lucy about the trees.

Thanks

Dee

Dee Lewis

Youth Work Team Manager

Southwark Council, Youth Service

t: 020 7525 1589/1103

m: 07956 346 706

e: [email protected]

w: www.whtvr.org

www.southwark.gov.uk

f: www.facebook.com/whtvrorg

From: Lucy Swan [mailto:[email protected]]

Sent: Monday, January 12, 2015 4:53 AM

To: Lewis, Dee

Cc: Nathaniel Swan

Subject: Re: Trees at Bellenden

Dear Dee,

As you will already have gathered I am greatly disturbed by the intention to remove the trees at Bellenden road.

It is unlikely that such large and old trees could be successfully dug up and replanted. Even were one to attempt such a project, it would involve removing each tree with an enormous root ball which would need specialist equipment. Then they would need storing somewhere where they would have to be looked after.

I have coaxed, trimmed and cut for the last fifteen years and now at last when they are looking fantastic it seems it was all for nothing.

Southwark council commissioned the trees under the renewal scheme for Bellenden road and has spent many thousands of pounds on it, and on maintaining the site, all now going to waste.

I suppose I thought that trees where things to be looked after, something we all valued, indeed I know from years of cutting them, and Nat my colleague will agree, they are greatly enjoyed and valued by the residents of Bellenden road and the wider community.

I am glad that there will be a new school and that a good design has been made but in my judgement it might have been polite of the architects to consult or at least contact me concerning the fate of the trees, and I am sure we could have come to some arrangement which would have benefited the community , saved the trees and suited the architects. Frankly I am surprised at the lack of communication. If it weren't for your good self I would be none the wiser.

I am back from India January 26th and will remain hopeful that nothing will be done without consultation before then! Meanwhile my colleague, Nat whose phone number is 07850 099255 can deal with all your queries.

Yours sincerely,

Lucy Swan

Sent from my iPhone

On 9 Jan 2015, at 16:38, "Lewis, Dee" wrote:

Hi Lucy

Happy New Year to you and I hope you are well.

With regard the trees at Bellenden, we are now looking at their removal in readiness for the contractor to take over the site in preparation for the school.

Can you advise me on the feasibility of digging and replanting them?

Thank you Lucy.

Dee

The email you received and any files transmitted with it are confidential, may be covered by legal and/or professional privilege and are intended solely for the use of the individual or entity to whom they are addressed. If you have received this in error please notify us immediately. If you are not the intended recipient of the email or the person responsible for delivering it to them you may not copy it, forward it or otherwise use it for any purpose or disclose its contents to any other person. To do so may be unlawful. Where opinions are expressed in the email they are not necessarily those of Southwark Council and Southwark Council is not responsible for any changes made to the message after it has been sent.

The email you received and any files transmitted with it are confidential, may be covered by legal and/or professional privilege and are intended solely for the use of the individual or entity to whom they are addressed.

If you have received this in error please notify us immediately.

If you are not the intended recipient of the email or the person responsible for delivering it to them you may not copy it, forward it or otherwise use it for any purpose or disclose its contents to any other person. To do so may be unlawful.

Where opinions are expressed in the email they are not necessarily those of Southwark Council and Southwark Council is not responsible for any changes made to the message after it has been sent.

[Jennys]

I was very sorry to see that these lovely trees are to be removed. They do really brighten up the road. Sadly this seems to be only one of many topics on the East Dulwich forum where people are reporting that Southwark Council plans changes in our local area but does not seem to have adequately informed local people about what changes they intend to make. (For example, the borough-wide 20mph speed limit, the changes to parking bays, the cycling route planned to cross Dulwich Park, the cycle route through parts of East Dulwich and Dulwich Village... ) So sad they don't consult earlier so people can comment, criticise, praise, raise issues and make suggestions.

[uncleglen]

Yes, the council seems to be a law unto itself- the 20mph speed limit increases fuel consumption thereby raising carbon dioxide emissions. Petrol vehicles have increased NOx emissions as well- the only reduction is the PM10 particulates which are reduced at 20mph compared with 30 mph.

Getting rid of trees which mop up carbon dioxide will also increase CO2.

Whenever I am driving at 20mph on the wider roads people overtake me, even at night, and that puts pedestrians and cyclists at greater risk.....

[Swan545644]

People can do something about this. Please raise your objections to the link provided on the email or contact the Bellenden residents associayion

[rch]

Just to let you know that I'm working on this... I've just tried posting an update but the blasted Cloudflare program keeps wiping out my posts.

[rch]

Will have one more go at posting...

Someone contacted me by PM yesterday, so I'm trying to see if we can get them transplanted. I've done this with a couple of street trees and they have all survived. There's no guarantee that they will definitely survive but, as they are going to die anyway, we might as well have a go. The key is to replant them on the same day.

As the trees are currently in South Camberwell ward, I'm thinking that somewhere like Goose Green would give them the best chance of survival.

Lucy, do you live nearby? Would you be able to continue to look after them? I reckon that we have a month to pull this off... it will need hands-on community support and probably some funding.

One of the South Camberwell councillors is Peter John, who also happens to be the Leader of the Council... I would suggest that you contact him in the first instance to obtain his support.

[nxjen]

Attempting to transplant to Goose Green a great idea. Cleaner, greener, safer funding?

[first mate]

They really are a magnificent labour of love- how awful that developers can just wade in and destroy with full support of the council, or so it would seem.

[Swan545644]

Hi this is Lucy. Yes I've looked after them for the last 15 years and they were probably 20 years old when planted. So sputhwark council have decided to dig up 45 year old trees. How green is that!!!

Yes I live mearby

[rch]

The problem is timing. In order to give the yews the best chance, they should be transplanted by the first week of April at the very latest.

Peter John may be able to intervene in an attempt to keep the trees, but the planning discussions could carry on past the best transplant date, which would doom the trees if it was decided that it was impractical to amend the planning application in order to keep them.

There is a Camberwell Community Council meeting tomorrow night which residents could ask to make an urgent deputation at in order to put the options on the table in front of the relevant cllrs.

CGS funding is capital budget, to buy Things, whereas this project needs manpower, which is revenue budget. In any case, any allocation of community funds would need to be made at the relevant Community Council meeting, which is tomorrow night. I think there's another CCC meeting on March 18th, but that's leaving it a bit late.

The best way forward is to get an agreement for the council to earmark the felling funds to remove the trees and the rootballs, topped up by internal tree dept budget to move and replant them. If this isn't enough then someone needs to set up a crowd funding scheme for local donations.

I have access to a "community gardening" fund, but I'm not sure that this project would qualify (this is one of the things I'm checking out), but that's only ?1800 which I suspect wouldn't be enough. Ongoing maintenance would hopefully be provided by Lucy and the community - the first year will need a lot of watering.

But first we need the transplantation option to be agreed by the council and then agree a location.

I think there's a perfect spot on Goose Green, so am happy to see that the initial response is positive.

[first mate]

I note part of the rationale is that they will be removed to make way for an external learning space/garden. I wonder what will actually be put in their place? Does the presence of these trees totally inhibit learning/use of the space? It is hard to see from the photos how much space they take up.

I'd have thought that the children might enjoy learning about how the trees are trimmed and tended and perhaps, at key festival periods, the trees could be carefully decorated with items made by the children. In summer the trees might give valuable shade, also something children can hide behind and play hide and seek.

A cursory reading of the plans implies, though it is not clear, that the topiary trees are to be removed and then four new trees planted!?

[Jeremy]

Even though I'm very much in favour of the school and understand their need to maximise space, it is hard to see that this narrow space, right next to the road, could be useful as an "external learning space/garden".

[first mate]

Perhaps the real reason is the nature of the trees- yew, and upkeep, given they are topiary. Nonetheless, I don't feel they should just be ripped out, especially not if they are to be replaced with more trees. And, Jeremy, I share your reservations about quite how this space is to be used...cannot see anything in the current plans that details this or mentions external learning/play areas on a narrow strip next to the road.

[Jennys]

As Jeremy has pointed out the trees are in a very confined space near the road.I would have thought parents would not wish their children to spend time sitting there right next to the fumes and pollution of traffic going past.

[first mate]

This is from the current application:

Growing area

The strip of land along Bellenden road will be connected with

both the main and the Reception playground. A new planter with

instant hedging set behind a new vertical bar metal fence will

separate this space from the street, safeguarding pupils. It will

enhance the street setting of the school and provide a learning

resource through proving planting space for all the Years of the

school.

[Swan545644]

This is Lucy again. Am feeling quite tearful at the response, thank you.

The site which they presently occupy is very narrow, and replacing it with anougher garden seems to me to add insult to injury. I too think children would love the "magical forest".

I would be quite willing to give workshops etc.

[Penguin68]

I entirely feel for Lucy and love the trees BUT - if the space is to be used by the children more proactively AND if the trees are yew (which is incredibly poisonous) then they do post a real hazard - I can recall a (perfectly nice) laburnum having to be removed from a play area in a school because one pupil persuaded another to snack on (in fact the flowers rather than the seed pods, which in laburnum are the danger points) it. If there is any chance they can be replanted and saved that would be good. Yews can be very long-lived and are, I believe, pretty robust, so maybe even trees as old as this could be saved.

However the space being grabbed does seem very small - it will hardly provide much utility to the children - whereas the tended yew trees (if not part of the children's immediate play area) would add greater aesthetic and even possibly educational value. The role of the yew in English history is important, the sculpting of trees in English garden history (topiary) equally so.

[first mate]

Well the 'magical forest' is darn sight more intersting and creative than the proposed replacement. I also feel the reply you got from the Capital woman was somewhat misleading, even disingenuous- just my opinion.

RCH has said, though obviously not in his gift, that perhaps the architects/Southwark/Mr John might be persuaded to keep the trees. I guess, from their perspective the only problem might be protecting them whilst building is ongoing.

I do hope a way can be found to keep them in situ. Do you also do Niwaki, Lucy?

[first mate]

P68, yes agreed I had also pondered the poison aspect, but if this is the reasoning then it should be stated. I think many children would be fascinated by topiary- just think Edward Scissorhands..on second thoughts perhaps not.

[Swan545644]

Hi Lucy again. Vis a vis the yews being poisonous I went through this with Southwark council before I planted the trees. It is only the berries and to my knowledge so far the trees have produced little or no berries. And in fact the leaves produce a drug that is used in anti cancer treatment.

!

[Penguin68]

I was also thinking about the yew as a source of bows - the long-bow is a very important factor in the English and Welsh participation in e.g. The Hundred Years War - Crecy, Poitiers, Agincourt etc. - the cultivation of yew (in graveyards etc.) an important contribution to the war materiel.

[first mate]

Overall there seems much to be learned about the yew tree. Do hope there might be a rethink.