ELD adds their voice to raise 'Tree Awareness' in Bury St Edmunds (December 08)

Elwood Landscape Design, a local Chartered Landscape Architect’s practice that works in partnership with Hayden’s Arboricultural Consultants, are currently supporting National Tree Week and Hayden’s ‘Trees in Towns’ photographic competition in Bury St Edmunds. ELD’s Director, Ruth Elwood, is keen to add her voice to that of Stephen Hayden, in highlighting awareness of the scarcity of tress throughout towns.

ELD is currently engaged by The Bury Society to provide a strategy of improvement for a greener and more attractive outlook to the cattle market car park that will form the new gateway entrance into the town’s extended retail district.

‘One of the major issues that we are trying to address is the number of trees that are to be planted in the car park,’ explains Ruth. ‘The Bury Society is rightly concerned that a major opportunity to increase the number of trees could be missed if the current proposals are carried forward to construction. We have submitted proposals to St Edmundsbury Borough Council that identify a possible 40 trees in the car park, which would make a significant improvement to the green infrastructure across the town centre’.

This exercise completed by ELD, considered the location of trees in relation to lighting and CCTV coverage across the car park, resulting in a significant increase in tree numbers compared to the fourteen trees proposed by the council.

Ruth Continues, ‘ELD is totally committed to support the campaign for more trees within our towns and cities. We are hopeful that St Edmundsbury Borough Council will agree to our proposals, to increase the number of trees within the car park. These trees will contribute a great deal to our living and working environments; not least, to improve air quality and increase the positive psychological effect that we all experience when we see healthy, large trees within the urban landscape. It is vital that we grasp every opportunity, to improve the green infrastructure of our town centres for the benefit of future generations, especially in light of climate change and negative development pressure on existing trees - This is a prime opportunity that must be explored further’.

If you would like see a greener and more attractive car park, then you can add your voice to the ever growing support for these proposals, by contacting Mrs Sarah Green, the Chairman for The Bury Society on 01284 752718 or John Abbott on 01284 753594.