Please help save Parish Peace Garden lime trees, Stroud Green, n4!!!!

2 lovely 100 year-old lime trees in the Peace Garden are threatened with felling by the Diocese of London. (The trees are at either end of the green.)They are as old as some of the houses built around here, home to some beautiful birds including the Great Spotted Woodpecker. Kids from St Aidan’s school play here after school, enjoying its Autumn colours and the cooling shade it brings in our increasingly hot Summers.

The Diocese believe the limes are implicated in some cracking of the vicarage, but we are questioning this as insurers tried to fell the tree in 2009, and the council challenged it and kept the tree. Why not now? We think there are ways to prevent the Limes being felled. A root blocker could be used for example and full ecological reports need to be carried out. An arboriculturist has looked at the site and says more measures could be employed to save the trees – it’s very hard to prove any of the trees are causing damage.

Trees are increasingly blamed for subsidence issues by insurers but can be only one small part of the problem. As our summers get hotter in the Climate Crisis, our house foundations, built on clay soil, are drying out and shifting, causing cracks. But we can’t simply blame trees for all structural damage – we would have no trees left in London if this was the case. (Since 2008, Haringey council have felled almost 3000 street trees.) We NEED MATURE TREES, they clean our air and absorb carbon – these trees in their lifetimes, have stored 2 TONNES of carbon.

If you are concerned at the loss of this trees, please communicate your concerns to: Father Patrick, (Holy Trinity), the governors of St Aidans school, the diocese and the following people ASAP:

Archdeacon.Hampstead@london.anglican.org Friar John Hawkins, Archdeacon of Hampstead
Brian.Cuthbertson@london.anglican.org Head of Environment at the Diocese
richard.barrett@london.anglican.org, Head of Housing
Nick.Leach@london.anglican.org Repairs Manager.

You can also tweet about this to insurer who are 

The Diocese staff list is here for further information https://www.london.anglican.org/about/diocesan-staff/ -

Tree Officers department for Haringey (for other tree related queries) are:
Senior Tree officer: clare.pappalardo@haringey.gov.uk or
Trees Manager: Alex.fraser@haringey.gov.uk

Please also contact us to offer support, a group of concerned Haringey residents trying to protect mature trees in the borough, North London Tree Protectors, CONTACT GIOVANNA, email: parklandwalktrees@gmail.com