The 125 trees on and around West Kentish Town estate benefit residents in the area by providing protection from pollution and a sense of wellbeing. These trees are a vital part of the ecosystem, providing habitats for many animal species and sequestering carbon from the atmosphere. When West Kentish Town estate is rebuilt every effort should be made to retain mature trees, as it will take 30- 40 years growth for newly planted trees to provide comparable benefit.
A detailed survey of the trees should be carried out to establish the species, health of each tree, life expectancy, benefit to biodiversity and overall value to the community. This information will enable designers to prioritise which trees should be kept. It is possible to design new housing and other buildings around trees, as has been demonstrated by many projects in Camden and elsewhere.
West Kentish Town 
Reclaimers may recall that there were similar splendid mature trees on the Bacton Low Rise estate that were “protected” in the planning permission. Alas the protection was removed and the trees felled. Will the WKT trees suffer the sme fit if regen occurs ?
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One if the key things that local residents and visitors say about our area is how many trees we are lucky to have and how they add to the beauty of the area and add to the environment including improving air quality. We need to ensure these are protected.
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Some time ago I suggested that our TRA volunteered to look after the trees in our area, by such things as watering, putting flowers around the base to stop dogs shitting and alerting the council if the tree got sick or damaged. After emails galore and a meeting with the head honchos tree council’s tee section and a local councillor, I agreed to take matters forward with the proviso that the council informed me of the question of public liability. I noted that the residents of Inkerman Street and environs did similar things to what I was suggesting. The reason for the public liability issue was that my wife fell down a pit at the base of a tree in Grafton Road and cut herself. Over a year later I still await a response from the tree section. Enough said !!!
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