Trees across Canada Water
Across the Canada Water development, at least 35% of the site will be public open space, including the new park and Dock Office courtyard – in addition to the dozens of acres in the surrounding area. This will boost biodiversity and provide more opportunities for local people to engage with the natural world.
As part of this we are creating a brand new 3.5 acre park and pavilion, which will include five character areas: a meadow, a dry garden planted with drought-resistant plants, an open lawn, a woodland area and a shaded area. It will also connect into the 130 acres+ of parks and woodlands nearby through a network of green pedestrian routes and public spaces running throughout the development.
Next year, we are looking forward to the completion of the works which are revitalising and transforming the historic Canada Dock. The plans include a 170m-long pedestrian boardwalk, new seating along the southern edge and extensive improvements to wetland habitats, biodiversity and water quality. We are continuing to work in partnership with the London Wildlife Trust to provide a haven for local wildlife.
As part of our s.106 legal agreement with Southwark Council we are committed to planting over 1,200 trees on and around the site by 2038. We are undertaking large-scale tree planting of a variety of species, providing different seasonal colours and interest on and around the site. We are working with a range of expert consultants to ensure that in the long term the development creates new landscaped spaces and habitats and enhances local biodiversity. The completed development will see significant net gain in the site’s biodiversity and ecological value.
To date we have planted over 120 trees on site and around the local area, we have also retained 47 trees on-site. We anticipate that we will plant a further 150 trees as part of the first phase of the development, which is scheduled to complete by early 2025.
Over the next few months, we will need to prepare for construction in areas across the Canada Water development. As part of this we are going to have to remove a number of trees. The works will be split into two phases, with the first commencing later this month, and the second phase planned for January 2024. We are conscious of the impact of our proposals on local wildlife and have therefore scheduled these works to occur before nesting season.
The removal of these trees has been consented to by Southwark Council under the Arboricultural Impact Assessment which formed part of the Outline Planning Permission for the Masterplan in 2020.
We are committed to responsibly managing the life cycle of the wood from the trees that are removed. We are working closely with local schools such as Redriff Primary School, who are keen to use the resulting wood in their playground refurbishment next year, and environmentally focused place-makers Yes Make who are also partnering with TEDI-London (located on Quebec Way full name The Engineering & Design Institute London), for their winter school 2024. Participants in the 2024 winter school will investigate how urban trees can be used in practical circular economy approaches, and how to engage the local community in these projects and learn new skills. You can read more and sign up for the Winter School 2024 by visiting: https://tedi-london.ac.uk or by emailing [email protected]
For further information on the works, contact us via [email protected] or 0800 470 4593 (freephone).
