Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!
Last ditch attempt to save the famous Oakfield Plane Tree - please feedback on consultation now
Tags for Forum Posts: feedback on consultation, haringey council, public consultation, save nature, stop the chop, street trees, threats to nature, tree chopping
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Michael Anderson
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From what you wrote. Great that you are able to ride a bike on the pavement.
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Permalink Reply by Giovanna iozzi
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I wheel my bike on pavements when I have to, I don't cycle. I cycle on roads.
Which culture war will you start this time to suit your narrative?
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What on earth are you going on about?
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Permalink Reply by Joanna
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I agree with David. The dispute over this single tree, planted to augment it's residential surroundings, and now damaging its surroundings on an ongoing basis is absurd. On its own, it is of no exceptional ecological value. Time for it to be replaced with something more appropriate and stop consuming council resources.
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Well, I do not agree at all.
Think about it:
Veteran Trees, oxygen, and relief from heat and flooding are far more essential resources than any money they are choosing to waste trying to fell them. That tree and all the others on that road are essential resources—and are absolutely free. The council is fixating on an issue that has already been solved with residents and insurers just to show off its power, which is absolutely despicable.
Do you have any idea of how much it costs to fell a tree, create artificial solutions for floods and heat, and purify the air artificially? If we want to talk about money, you should double-check what they are doing and why.
Sadly, greed and machismo are more visible than any hint to a serious rationsl budget planning.
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the houses are to be underpinned which should resolve theissues of damage - the tree is one part of a range of causes, not the direct cause. One tree felled becomes anther and another....umfreville road for example has no large mature trees left, all felled gradually for insurance claims. The homeowners are on board and want the tree to stay. This tree is doing a lot for the house and our community. It's a test case, we will see many more go after this one. It represents so much more than 'just one tree'.
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Permalink Reply by Clive Carter
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THIS "single" tree stands for all the healthy trees in the Borough that delinquent insurers may use as a handy excuse to avoid or delay payouts on claims.
"Damaging" is present tense and suggests an unawareness of the history.
The "single" tree may or may not have contributed to damage in the past. There is no evidence that any damage is *current*, nor is there evidence that this tree is the single or sole cause of subsidence. In the last couple of years, Haringey Council has provided scant information and have appeared to act on behalf of the Loss Adjuster company.
On its own, it is of no exceptional ecological value.
– yes, it is merely one of many London Plane Trees. However, the point here is not uniqueness, it is that it is a healthy mature tree:
I invite you to consider reading up on the value of street trees in the urban environment and contribution to absorbing the greenhouse gas, carbon dioxide.
Haringey Council's tree department is likely to have one of the smallest budgets and with amongst the lowest priorities. This is part of the general lack of attention to the environment and it needs to change. The council could have handled this better.
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I wrote a piece here
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Permalink Reply by Hugh
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HoL member Dick Harris made the following comment on the local WhatsApp traffic group recently. As and owner of what's probably the biggest garden in Harringay over the past 40 years, Dick has deep experience in nurturing, protecting and defending against tress in and around his garden. I add hsi comments here with his permission:
I count myself a tree lover but I do not support indiscriminate opposition to the removal of trees where necessary, ie sensible tree management.
Most houses in Haringey are built on London clay which makes them vulnerable to damage from tree roots. Because of this, the London plane tree (Platanus x hispanica) turned out to be a particularly unsuitable tree to plant near houses built to late 19th century building standards. They may be magnificent in parks or even in broad boulevards but they can be an increasing menace in urban streets, especially where the front gardens are small. No doubt this was not foreseen by the people who chose them but, as this species can grow to 35 metres tall, they have become a serious ongoing management problem for councils like ours.
I can't claim to be a legal expert on this subject but I believe that the liability for damage caused by trees falls upon the owner from the date formal notice has been given that damage may be caused. Insurance companies are often involved when they decline to insure properties that are subject to this kind of risk. Put another way, we all have to pay for tree management by the council and this includes the removal of trees where necessary.
As to the Council's implied enthusiasm for felling this tree, the few people I know who asked for action of this kind have found it pretty difficult to get the Council moving.
To summarise, I would say we should talk more about which more suitable species of tree we think the Council should plant in our streets. I certainly wouldn't want to see a London plane tree within 20 metres of any part of my house and I wouldn't wish it on anyone else.
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LIKE others of the diminishing number of surviving mature trees, this is a forest tree.
The council to be fair, probably do not need advice on what species to plant as street-trees and are highly unlikely to be planting more forest trees in streets.
However, due to a lack of joined-up thinking, their current half-baked tree-planting programme is putting sapling trees in the wrong places.
To name just one, by planting in pedestrian pavements, the council is planting trees about a metre closer to houses, as compared with the better site of build-outs from the kerb. But proximity to houses is supposed to be a risk factor.
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I live in a first floor flat, as do so many in Harringay. I don't have the benefit of a garden, let alone "the biggest garden in Harringay" (this is one reason why many residents in three Boroughs are unhappy with the council's hiring out of chunks of Finsbury Park over the summer).
In the case of this particular tree, the owners of the property immediately adjacent, want it kept!
And this, despite many years of friction with insurers, loss adjusters and the council.
In the short to medium-term, mature or Veteran trees contribute far more to CO2 absorption and to the urban environment than do saplings, but I asked ChatGPT about the value of street trees in general.
Below is the unedited AI-generated reply:
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Street trees play a vital role in improving the urban environment and contribute significantly to absorbing CO₂ and other environmental and social benefits. Here's an overview of their value:
🌳 Environmental Value
1. CO₂ Absorption
Annual CO₂ Sequestration: A mature street tree can absorb approximately 10–40 kg of CO₂ per year depending on the species, age, and growing conditions.
Over a 40-year lifespan, that can amount to 400–1,600 kg of CO₂, or more.
Though not a complete solution to urban emissions, collectively, urban forests (including street trees) significantly offset carbon emissions—especially in dense cities.
2. Air Quality Improvement
Trees remove other pollutants (e.g., NO₂, SO₂, ozone, and particulate matter) from the air, improving respiratory health.
3. Urban Cooling (Reducing Heat Island Effect)
Trees reduce ambient air temperatures by up to 2–4°C, through shade and evapotranspiration.
This reduces the need for air conditioning, indirectly lowering energy use and associated CO₂ emissions.
4. Stormwater Management
Tree canopies and root systems help manage rainfall by intercepting precipitation and increasing soil infiltration—reducing flood risk and strain on drainage systems.
🏙️ Urban and Social Value
1. Mental and Physical Health
Proximity to street trees is linked with lower stress, improved mood, and even lower incidence of cardiovascular and respiratory diseases.
Encourages walking and outdoor activity, improving physical fitness and social cohesion.
2. Noise Reduction
Leaves and branches help dampen urban noise pollution, particularly in areas with heavy traffic.
3. Biodiversity Corridors
Provide habitats for birds, insects, and small mammals, helping sustain urban biodiversity.
4. Property and Economic Value
Streets with mature trees tend to have higher property values and attract more foot traffic to shops, increasing local business revenue.
📊 Quantified Benefits (Examples)
A single large tree can provide services worth £100–£500+ per year depending on its location and condition (source: i-Tree analysis, USDA & UK studies).
London’s urban forest is estimated to provide over £130 million per year in environmental benefits (GLA/Treeconomics data).
Conclusion
While a single street tree's carbon absorption is modest, their collective impact is substantial, especially when integrated into broader urban greening strategies. Beyond CO₂, they are crucial for climate resilience, public health, and livable cities.
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Planes are brilliant trees for absorbing pollution and carbon from the air.
Their size can be managed with pollarding.
Insurers have esatblished case law so trees only have to be implicated in damage to be felled. This is wrong in a time of climate breakdown. They have taken iver 100 years to grow, London has many, they are incredible trees and we are lucky to have them.
Clay soil and poor house foundations are the 2 main culprits of subsidence. Insuers used to underpin houses properly, they rarey do now. They realised they can blame trees and avoid work to houses - kerching. That's part of the reason why the home insurance industry in the uK is worth billions.
The houses here ARE TO BE UNDERPINNED. the insurers actually agreed to do this after years of collective pressure - yet the council STILL WANT TO FELL. We think they are scared about future risk yet their own tree and woodlands plan so they won't fell due to future risk (appendix 1) https://haringey.gov.uk/sites/default/files/2024-12/appendix-7-hari...
the owers don't want the tree to go, nor does the community. We will see many other trees follow.
New species of tree is a whole other discussion point but we are where we are and these trees are doing so much more than we know. They also protect a lot against flood water, which will be a huge focus for insurance claims now and in the near future.
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You wouldn't plant a plane tree on a footpath now. There are more efficient and effective trees. However, to remove an already mature tree and replace it with a sapling when it has been shown to be unnecessary is simply ludicrous.
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