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Finsbury Park tree vandalism
I've just been told that Haringey Council have dug up 200 saplings in Finsbury Park because they'll interfere with the fences for live music events. The trees had been planted by Friends Of Finsbury Park.
Can anyone here confirm or expand on this?
Can anyone here confirm or expand on this?
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A month ago we planted a lot of trees in agreement with park staff. Located around the Richard Hope Play Space, they sought to give shade to a recessed area that lacks tree cover and gets overly warm.
WHAT?
Two week ago, we heard informally that Parks HQ didn't like the location. And a *suggestion* that it infringes on Event space for Wireless Festival (you read right – trees might marginally infringe on their ability to put up a three metre high fence through the summer). We asked for clarification.
REALLY?
Late on Thursday night, we finally received a formal reply – 'a mistake’s been made' and they shouldn't be planted there. Nothing to do with Events, of course. We met park staff on Friday and stepped through concerns – all manageable and not requiring 200 trees to be ripped out.
WHERE?
They proposed moving the trees inside the play area – but they are about to lay a 1.2m wide disabled access track … so where exactly would you put the trees?
COMPROMISE?
Beyond space for path (and play …), the southern side is a bit dry. We don't think putting them inside the fence would work, but; perhaps it would on the northern edge near the cafe; and maybe a mistake was made? We proposed an urgent meeting and ask that no action were taken.
TOO LATE!
At 4 PM on Friday 22 April 2022—within hours of meeting—all the trees were literally ripped out of the ground. They were already sprouting and now, will likely die.
SO WHAT?
It's hard to engage on council talk of community 'co-production' when residents are so often ignored; and Manifestos, that talk of planting lots more trees, when council staff are ripping them out!
Incredibly frustrating and totally avoidable. Environment Cabinet Member Cllr @mikehakata has been supportive but the council officer culture has got to change.
How utterly depressing though.
Climate and ecological emergency? What climate and ecological emergency.
Is there anything can be done to hold these vandals to account?
One of the homeowners has been fighting their insurance company for years, and the matter is due to go to the ombudsman soon. BUT the council has rushed to deliver a notice to quit and a court order BEFORE that ombudsman hearing.
Also the campaigners have been asking for a public meeting for months.
The council offered an informal meeting at the tree with short notice.
Then the council finally set a date for a public meeting, but put in the notice to quit and seeking court order BEFORE that meeting.
They've also at the last minute said the campaigners can only ask questions but not give any presentation to the public at that meeting! This is despite local concillor Eldridge Culverton some time ago making clear to the council what was being proposed. The last minute edict was sent on Sunday, just days before the meeting.
I understand the council is in a difficult position fighting large insurance companies, but they've behaved very badly rather than trying to work with the campaigners.
This may be just one tree, but it's a story repeated across the borough (200 trees set to go) and across the country (1000s and 1000s), so someone somewhere has to make a stand and get laws changed and policies like open tree pits and community irrigation in place.
Public meeting at St Aiden's on Thursday evening.