Sixty-five mature trees in Shoreditch Park have been felled to make way for a new state-of-the-art leisure centre, secondary school and flats.
One resident, Robin Hawkes, described the area as “much loved by visitors and local residents” and said the removal of so many trees was “truly shameful”.
Locals have taken to Twitter to protest against the tree felling and the impact they say it will have on the natural habitat.
The Shoreditch Park user group tweeted: “This devastation of Britannia [the existing leisure centre] and Shoreditch Park makes us heart sore.”
Another user wrote: “No single resident ever said they were ok with killing EVERY SINGLE TREE on site. This was never made clear. Shame on you.”
Development construction is underway
Construction work on the Brittania development began last week. All the trees on the site, some of which are 100 years old, have been chopped down. But the council have said 100 new trees will be planted at the end of the development.
A spokesperson for Hackney Council said: “65 trees need to be removed to make way for the new development.”
“While it is unfortunate that any trees should be lost, we will be planting 100 new trees on the site, so there will be 35 more trees than there were.
“As nesting season starts in March, all of the trees which needed to be removed for the first phase of the development are being taken down in February.”
“It’s expected that the new trees will meet and surpass the current tree canopy area within 10 years of planting.”
The plans for the Britannia site were approved in April 2017, and will provide the area with “much needed” new leisure facilities, a 1,140-place secondary school and 481 new homes, according to the Hackney Council spokesperson.
They added: “We’re also creating a new public square, better walking and cycling routes, wildlife friendly planting and a range of other improvements.
“These proposals were two-and-a-half years in the planning with widespread discussion and feedback with residents, teachers, parents, leisure centre users and community groups.”
“All proposals relating to tree removal and planting were included and consulted on as part of the planning application.”
Environmental concerns raised by Hackney officials
Mayor of Hackney Philip Glanville has been heavily involved with the Britannia site and has responded to the environmental concerns.
On the tree felling, he said: “[It is] never a decision taken lightly and a lot of work went into minimising impact on existing trees, as well as ensuring that [there are] more trees and a bigger canopy once development is complete.
“We’ve been clear and transparent about this from the start. It is happening now to avoid nesting season.”
Mr Hawkes, who has worked on London estate regeneration for 35 years, is concerned about the environmental impact. He said: “We are losing so much of the designated open space and residents can’t believe how many trees have gone. It absolutely shouldn’t happen.”
“The council may have conceded the tree felling didn’t happen during nesting season, but the birds now haven’t got anywhere to nest.
“It will be very hard to get the habitats back once they have gone. And what about the role of those trees, for water retention, the carbon dioxide that they took in? It is all going to have implications.”
Loss of tree canopy to impact environment
Michael Keane, a local campaigner, estimates about 3,000 square metres of tree canopy has been removed from Shoreditch Park. “It will take some 30 to 40 years for that to be replaced by newly planted trees,” he said.
“Net loss of tree canopy leads to reduction in air quality and loss of all the other benefits associated with trees, birds, insect life etcetera.”
The spokesperson for Hackney Council said: “65 trees need to be removed to make way for the new development.
“While it is unfortunate that any trees should be lost, we will be planting 100 new trees on the site, so there will be 35 more trees than there were.”
“As nesting season starts in March, all of the trees which needed to be removed for the first phase of the development are being taken down in February.”
“The trees are being recycled by the contractor, with some being used in the neighbouring adventure playground.”
“It’s expected that the new trees will meet and surpass the current tree canopy area within 10 years of planting. Tree species have been selected to improve air quality, shade and the local microclimate.”
The Britannia site is due to be completed in 2021 but one phase of the construction was delayed last week due to clashes with Crossrail 2.
The hold-up means 93 of the homes will not be ready until the summer of 2022, 12 months after the initial completion date.
The building of the new leisure centre and school will not be affected.
