Graham, Tom and Ian

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Stockport to plant 800 new trees by end of March

by Lib Dem team on 4 January, 2013

Stockport Council is to plant 800 new trees in the borough by the end of March.

The Council, in partnership with Solutions SK, is replacing missing, removed or dead street trees which were identified in a 2010 survey.

Work on the priority £150,000 project starts in Hazel Grove on Monday January 7th before covering all areas of the borough.

To prepare for the planting, the existing tree stumps are ground down and the ground cleared. The tree species selected, which include Hawthorn, Beech, Oak and Maple, are suitable for specific sites, and add interest to the local area. The trees are planted with a stake and a cage to support and protect them.

Councillor Kevin Hogg, Executive Member for the Public Realm, who will plant the first tree, said: “Trees are a real asset to our neighbourhoods and localities. They are one of the most important ways in which we can keep our borough green, and help create pleasant places in which to walk, cycle or sit.

“Trees also play an important environmental and aesthetic role in enhancing the urban environment, and bring a sense of the countryside into the heart of Stockport.”

Stockport has 15,000 street trees maintained on an on-going basis.

   9 Comments

9 Responses

  1. Carole says:

    All very beautiful but the tree roots cause so many problems to drains and uplifting tarmac on pavements and roads costing so much more money in maintenance and repairs.

  2. Iain Roberts says:

    Hi Carole – you’re right about the old trees planted a few decades back: it’s one of our constant frustrations as councillors that our pavements are in much worse condition that they could be because of the decisions made back then.

    That’s why getting the right species of tree is so important, and our arboreal officers have done a lot of work to ensure that the trees we’re planting now are very unlikely to cause those problems to pavements and sewers in future.

  3. Paula Isherwood says:

    All very commendable but first of all Solutions SK need to know where young trees have been planted before they cut the grass on newly planted areas. We watched with horror as they cut areas on Gatley Carrs which had been planted less than a year before with trees given to us by The Woodland Trust and planted on a cold and wet December day by children and their parents.

    Fortunately Anthony Crook and his team from the tree department at Stockport MBC have said that they will be replaced eventually but Solutions SK have a lot to learn.

  4. Iain Roberts says:

    Mistakes do happen, but I shouldn’t think that will be an issue in this case as the trees are being planted in pits in the pavement and start off being much bigger.

  5. John Bodicoat says:

    Great stuff. We’ve been waiting for a long time for our replacement and the hole where the old one was is now a deep muddy puddle due to motorists driving through!

  6. Robert Taggart says:

    “Mistakes do happen”… indeed, but, all too often with these public sector morons !
    Good to see you defending such morons – again !!

  7. Iain Roberts says:

    My experience in the private and public sectors is that both are equally adept at making mistakes, with both being staffed by human beings.

    Don’t quite see how stating a simple fact is defending anyone, but there we are.

  8. Robert Taggart says:

    Indeed, Councillor, but unlike the private sector the public sector can always rely upon an army of apologists to jump to their defence !

  9. norman says:

    Iain
    Council recently planted trees on Springfield road everywhere but outside no 23 even though the pavement has been opened up and is full of tree shavings from the old tree. However , they said that the old roots had not been dug out properly. We are now left with a dug up pavement but for how long? Can you investigate? Thanks in anticipation.

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