Delighted Islington residents thanked the council for saving one of the borough's historic plane trees.
Local residents, Andrew Coughlan, Steven Halpin and Gilbert Thomas from Arundel Square are delighted with the council's swift action to save the tree.
Andrew said: "I've lived here all my life. We love the tree and it's great that the wall has been repaired and the tree saved."
Some quick thinking and action by Islington Council means residents can continue to enjoy the much loved tree in Arundel Square.
After discovering the roots of the plane tree were causing the wall around it to bulge dangerously the council acted to save the tree. The council redesigned and rebuilt the wall so that the roots no longer caused a danger. Usually in this situation a tree would have to be cut down to keep the pavement safe.
Councillor Bridget Fox, executive member for sustainability added:
"We do love our trees in Islington and I'm delighted that we have been able to preserve this magnificent plane tree. We only cut down where we have to. So, after hearing that the tree may need to go we acted quickly to avoid losing one of our much loved trees.
"Now, I'm please to say this great plane tree can continue to enhance the local landscape and accompany the 1000 new trees the council will have planted by the end of March this year,"
Islington has over 40,000 trees and continues to work hard to maintain them while planting more a more new trees each year. This year alone, by the end of March over 1000 new trees will have been planted up and down the borough.
The London planes are hybrid trees. The bark, leaves and branches act to filter out toxins and pollutions from the environment and produce clean oxygenated air.
The Institute of Structural Engineers used this illustration as a classic demonstration of tree root damage.
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Page Last Updated: 29 July 2008