Avenues of new trees have been planted by Hammersmith & Fulham Council to give a welcome boost of spring green to Ravenscourt Park.
As part of the development project at the railway arches, several trees had to be removed. Funding from the development has paid for new cherry and elm trees to be planted – with two trees planted for every one that was removed.
The saplings, which were planted last month, should take 15 to 20 years to reach maturity and will restore some of the park’s attractive avenues.
"We are pleased to be making this investment in Ravenscourt Park with funds secured from developers. Improving and protecting our parks is a key priority for this council," said Cllr Wesley Harcourt, H&F Council’s Cabinet Member for Environment, Transport and Residents’ Services.
Eight new cherry trees have been planted along the main path that runs north to south through the park. These will create a stunning burst of colour in the spring.
A further eight elm trees have also been planted along the path that runs diagonally across the park. The variety planted is resistant to Dutch elm disease – which killed millions of trees across the South and South East of England in the 1970s.
Ravenscourt Park provides a great level of biodiversity, with around 150 species of plant, including some 600 trees of 90 different species.
Among the most popular trees in the park is a London plane, listed as one of the ‘Champion’ trees of London. It survived a bombing during the Second World War and is believed to be around 120 years old.
