Green Spaces

Increasing the number of hedgerows, trees and other vegetation in public spaces is an obvious win-win. alongside roads planting provides a screen, an absorbent of pollutants, a haven for wildlife and a contribution towards countering climate change. The Ecology report prepared by experts at Surrey Wildlife Trust identified a number of areas that could be planted up, including the top of Bond Street, a number of roads in the Forest Estate, and the edge of School playing fields. An initial project involving school children planting 30 trees at St Cuthbert’s School was undertaken last year, and we are working on arranging larger schemes along some of the streets identified in the Ecology report and the Placemaking report.

Our plan to plant hedging and trees along various verges in Englefield Green continues to languish without us being able, despite two years of trying, to engage Runnymede Borough Council in a dialogue on this important improvement to the environment of Englefield Green, particularly the Forest Estate.

RBC is quite clear in its ‘Climate Strategy 2022-2030 that it will actively promote interaction with local groups promoting biodiversity opportunities, yet we have not yet seen this happen- indeed in the case last year where we arranges with Surrey CC for 800 trees to be planted as a hedge on RBC verges it was RBCs failure to respond to Surrey CC that killed the project.

We continue to push, and recently organised a petition to RBC supporting the planting of trees and hedges along the sides of Englefield Green Roads. This will lead to the subject being raised in RBC Council and hopefully things will then move forward.