Bid to fund more tree planting
A bid to finance more tree planting in St Albans District is to be made to a multimillion-pound nationwide scheme.
St Albans City and District Council is preparing to apply to the Government’s £10 million Urban Tree Challenge Fund (UTCF).
UTFC aim to facilitate the planting of 20,000 large and 110,000 small trees in urban areas across England.
The Council will be looking to obtain a matched grant of around £2,500 to plant over 100 new trees, contributing the same amount to provide a total of £5,000. It will seek suggestions from residents as to where the trees could be planted.
The funding would support the purchase of the trees, the planting and the first three years of maintenance including weeding and watering.
As a first step, the Council will submit next month an Expression of Interest to the Forestry Commission which is administering the scheme.
A full application may then be made next summer with the trees being planted on Council-owned land in 2021 if the bid is successful.
Trees are crucial in the fight against climate change because they store harmful carbon emissions.
They improve health and wellbeing in towns and cities, absorb noise, reduce flood risk and lower temperatures through shading.
Councillor Jamie Day, Portfolio Holder for Planning, said:
We are committed to improving our environment and one way of doing this is to plant more trees to make our District greener.
We will be trying very hard to obtain finance from the Urban Tree Challenge Fund and will put forward a strong case for help.
In doing so, we will be engaging with our residents to see where they would most like to see trees planted and will listen to all suggestions.
I am sure we will get an excellent response as trees are not just important for the battle against climate change. They also create green spaces where communities can come together, and they encourage people to connect with the great outdoors.
Councillor Contact:
Councillor Jamie Day,
Portfolio Holder for Planning for St Albans City and District Council
Email: cllr.j.day@stalbans.gov.uk
Tel: 01727-836924.
Media contact:
John McJannet,
Principal Communications Officer,
St Albans City and District Council
Tel: 01727-296130
Email: john.mcjannet@stalbans.gov.uk.