Lonsdale Square Gardens tree removal

Islington Council work very closely with local communities to create a greener, healthier borough, and we very much value the time and effort that local people dedicate to our parks.

We are considering the removal of two large conifer trees in Lonsdale Square and want to hear what local people think of these proposals. Once removed The proposal is to create a space filled with light, with creative and sustainable planting which will adapt to the changing climate, that is more in keeping with the original design of the park.

The key reason for the proposal is that tree pruning is not appropriate in this case, as the species does not respond well to topping or heavy pruning, and their size means that frequent light pruning would be impractical and would not be a viable solution

Additional supporting reasons are:

• the trees are inappropriate for their location
• they are an unsuitable species for this location and are not part of the original design and layout of the square

Future plans

If we were to remove the two conifer trees, in partnership with the volunteers, we propose to:

• return the space to the pre-existing pattern of flower beds and lawn, enabling residents to benefit from the health and wellbeing that gardening can bring, as well as create wildlife friendly planting to enhance biodiversity
• to replace the two conifers with one or two more appropriate deciduous trees in the perimeter beds (as per the square’s original design)

Islington Council tree policy

The council has considered these proposals, and has concluded that the trees can be removed under The Policy for Trees in Islington.

Policy 10

There will be a presumption against the removal of council trees unless there are

sound arboricultural or other reasons to indicate otherwise. These being:

• dead, dying or dangerous
• proven to be causing significant structural damage
• considered to be by the Tree Service to be inappropriate species for the location
• when removal is required as part of an agreed management programme or as an overall improvement project

We want to hear what local people think of these proposals.