(UPDATED 26 September 2022)
B&NES Council has shared that trees could be planted in streets across Bath and North East Somerset to improve the local area and help tackle the climate and ecological emergencies.
Residents are being asked to have their say on where individual trees should be planted in Bath, Keynsham, Saltford, Peasedown St John, Paulton and Camerton in a four-week consultation .
Bath & North East Somerset Council’s street trees project aims to plant trees that will provide a wealth of benefits for people and nature, underpinned by the ‘right tree, right place’ principle.
In October 2019 the council agreed to develop a strategy for planting trees across B&NES and a target to plant 100,000 trees by May 2023 in collaboration with partners and communities.
The street trees project proposes planting in the following locations:
Bath
- Bear Flat
- Evelyn Road
- Fox Hill
- Old Frome Road
- Southdown Estate
- Third Avenue
North East Somerset
- The Daglands, Camerton
- Coronation Avenue (and surrounding), Keynsham
- Tennis Court Avenue, Paulton
- Orchard Way, Peasedown St John
- Stratton Road, Saltford
Saltford Parish Council has also been made aware of plans to plant trees on The Shallows and on The Outlook, and awaits further information about this.
SPC has requested that B&NES Council permit a time extension for SPC to respond to the consultation. SPC was made aware of the consultation after its September agenda was issued, and the consultation end date is before SPC’s October meeting. SPC is grateful to B&NES Council for confirming that it can respond the day after its October meeting. As such this will be an item on SPC’s October agenda and 4 October meeting, and residents are welcome to attend and speak on this item at the meeting prior to the Council resolving its decision.
If feedback from the consultation supports the proposals, B&NES Council will work with the Forest of Avon Trust on a funding application to the government’s Trees for Climate Grant.
The proposed locations for each tree can be viewed on a map on the consultation page: bathnes.gov.uk/street-trees-project. The consultation closes at 5pm on October 3. As well as raising views to Saltford Parish Council if residents wish to, SPC strongly encourages residents to respond directly to the consultation. This guarantees that B&NES Council will be made aware of your views.
B&NES Council have stated that trees planted in residential areas would be in line with property boundaries and not directly outside of homes or driveways. Species of trees would be selected for characteristics that fit into the urban environment. The mature height and width of the trees will be considered, as well as how planted trees would affect utilities and the surrounding infrastructure.
More detail can be found in the annually updated Tree and Woodland Delivery Plan for more details on B&NES Council’s tree planting strategy. This plan will be formally adopted in autumn 2022.
Anyone not able to access the consultation online can request a paper copy by calling B&NES Council’s Council Connect on 01225 39 40 41 or by emailing treeplanting@bathnes.gov.uk
Specific queries about the proposals should be emailed to treeplanting@bathnes.gov.uk
