Thriving Ladywell - Tree planting scheme

Aim

An ambitious new tree planting scheme for Ladywell, which will span residential streets Embleton Road and Ellerdale Street.

Objective
To provide more trees to the streets of Embleton Road and Ellerdale Street, Ladywell to improve the environment for the health and wellbeing of all street users and for the general benefit of Ladywell. In the words of one resident:
“Making it greener, more residential, boosting the quality of life for residents and other users of the road”.

Summary
We have applied for funding through the NCIL fund, however it will not be enough to cover the local interest in our project (covering only 6 trees). Residents want more trees; we are working directly with Street Trees for London to provide trees. To reach the scope of interest, we are raising funds here. Each tree purchased privately through this fund will cost £350. 

Why are we doing this?

Embleton Road in Ladywell SE London once boasted 32 trees, but the numbers have decreased dramatically, some 16 trees were felled within the last 8 years leaving just 2 trees remaining (see image below). There are currently no trees on Ellerdale Street. Residents have been saddened by the loss of trees; trees that have been part of the landscape of their youth; trees that influence their children; trees that provide bio-diversity to the neighbourhood; trees that offer psychological traffic-calming and positive mental well-being to the community.

While Lewisham council bears no statutory responsibility to plant or replace trees, against the backdrop of a Climate Emergency our neighbours’ consultation shows that 97% of residents want trees in their street.

To address this need a group of neighbours submitted an application in 2021 for NCIL funding (learn more here) to introduce new street trees on Embleton Road and Ellerdale Street. The bid has since been recommended for partial funding. This will mean 6 new trees planted.

Local gov. funding is just a step in the right direction but is not enough to reach our goal. Collectively we have ambitions to make our streets much greener through this crowdfunder to create a thriving place for nature and humans transforming all corners of our neighbourhood! 

Your donation will directly fund the new trees on Embleton Road and/or Ellerdale Street (ground survey results pending). 

£350 buys a five-year-old tree from a selection of species, approx 4m high with two stakes. All trees are guaranteed against failure or damage in the first two years after planting, after which the local council takes over maintenance. Trees will be planted by local charity Street Trees For Living (STfL).

New street trees will in time create a corridor for nature and biodiversity, providing a tree canopy to offer shade and cooling, and respite from road traffic. The species will be carefully selected with suitability, longevity and with future generations in mind. 

How and when will the tree planting happen?

Tree planting will take place in October 2022–March 2023, any remaining trees will carry over to the following winter ensuring that the project would be completed by March 2024. 

The placement of trees will be determined in partnership with local charity Street Trees for Living and our working group. Each pavement site for a new tree has to satisfy a number of checks and be supported by adjoining households and the council. If you would like to join or input into our working group, please contact [email protected] 

This project will:

• Encourage biodiversity and wildlife - tree-lined streets would connect Hilly Fields with the Ravensbourne river and Ladywell Fields providing wildlife corridors for birds and insects to travel.
• Cool urban streets - provide cooling shade between Lewisham and Ladywell lowering air temperature by countering the urban "heat island" effect.
• Increase neighbourhood vigilance - Green spaces also act as a “cue to care”, demonstrating to criminals that residents care about their neighbourhood. This would help deter fly-tipping and dog fouling locally.
• Reduce toxic air mortality - Trees on streets absorb nine times more pollutants than more distant trees, converting toxic air back into oxygen. Children (Prendergast-Vale School and nurseries are nearby), older people and those with ill-health are most at-risk from poor air quality.
• Slow traffic - Street trees can affect driver perception of lane width, causing the “edge effect,” which is a psychological prompt to go slower. Traffic calming and road safety are a key concern on nearby Vicars Hill evidenced by our survey.

Who will benefit and how?

We estimate the beneficiaries of this project to be the populations of both Ladywell (14,735) 298 and Lewisham Central (23,125) due to its central location. There will be particular benefits for the pedestrians and cyclists who make frequent use of the area, given that it connects the Ward to the amenities of Lewisham town centre and to the widely-used community spaces of Hilly Fields and Ladywell Fields. 48% of residents in Lewisham do not have a car or van. 

There is clear evidence that planting street trees absorb pollutants and improve air quality, improve mental health for all who encounter them and can lower air temperature. Notably children, older people and those already suffering from ill-health are most at risk from the harmful consequences of poor air quality. Street trees can also improve flood protection by absorbing rainwater, a live issue for the Borough given recent projections showing that Lewisham is at risk of regular flooding in the next decade if climate change is not mitigated.

We estimate that there are approximately 200 properties on Embleton Road and Ellerdale Street, a mixture of flats and houses that are home to a cross-section of people of all ages, including intergenerational households, families, house sharers and people living alone. There is a broad mix of tenure with houses owner occupied and in both privately or socially rented. This part of Ladywell reflects the diversity of Lewisham borough, with approximately 30% of residents from a black and minority ethnic background.

Residents who are in the direct vicinity of the proposed scheme would also receive additional benefit in terms of an increase in biodiversity, from a possible reduction in the speed of traffic, and from an enhanced sense of community pride. 

NCIL Press: Ladywell Live Article

This project successfully funded on 26th March 2022