Treework Environmental Practice, along with the developer Lendlease and the London Borough of Southwark, recently won the Trees & Development Award at the London Tree and Woodlands Awards for its work on successfully integrating trees into the landmark project.
The awards, made in partnership with the London Mayor’s Office, recognise excellence in the field of trees and woodlands in London.
Treework Environmental Practice has consultants and technical advisors on the £3bn regeneration project in Elephant & Castle, which aims to change the landscape of an iconic part of Central London, providing around 3,000 homes, 50 new shops, and a two-acre park, the largest new green space in central London for 70 years.
It is being led by multinational construction and infrastructure company Lendlease and is expected to be completed by 2025.
The award for Treework Environmental Practice marked the company’s contribution to the first phase of the project Trafalgar Place, which was completed in 2015 and aimed to create quality homes within an open and mature landscape defined by its trees.
The collaboration led to an extensive and ambitious tree strategy which retained more than 140 mature trees across the whole scheme and was followed by the planting of over 1300 trees across the whole development and in the surrounding area.
The company’s managing director, Luke Fay, said: “Part of the challenge was to identify where tree roots were located to ensure mature trees could be retained close to and in harmony with large buildings.”
Ten trees were removed from the Trafalgar Place site and the timber from these was used for public art that is now located in the development, and also to facilitate public carving workshops.
A further 80 trees were planted on-site to deliver the quality of landscape that was envisaged and a further 30 in nearby streets and parks to replace the Capital Asset Value of the trees that were removed over time.
Since completion in 2015, a tree management strategy has been followed, including annual inspections by an arboricultural consultant and both planted and retained trees are thriving.
Luke Fay said: “The urban vision for the Elephant Park project is literally living and growing. We’re absolutely delighted to have won this award, because it shows that by working in partnership with the construction industry it is possible to deliver bold new development in a sustainable and sensitive way.”
The collaboration led to an extensive and ambitious tree strategy which retained more than 140 mature trees across the whole scheme and was followed by the planting of over 1300 trees across the whole development and in the surrounding area.
The company’s managing director, Luke Fay, said: “Part of the challenge was to identify where tree roots were located to ensure mature trees could be retained close to and in harmony with large buildings.”
Ten trees were removed from the Trafalgar Place site and the timber from these was used for public art that is now located in the development, and also to facilitate public carving workshops.
A further 80 trees were planted on-site to deliver the quality of landscape that was envisaged and a further 30 in nearby streets and parks to replace the Capital Asset Value of the trees that were removed over time.
Since completion in 2015, a tree management strategy has been followed, including annual inspections by an arboricultural consultant and both planted and retained trees are thriving.
Luke Fay said: “The urban vision for the Elephant Park project is literally living and growing. We’re absolutely delighted to have won this award, because it shows that by working in partnership with the construction industry it is possible to deliver bold new development in a sustainable and sensitive way.”