Works to plant 71 trees along prominent roadside verges in Barrow, as part of the Local Authority Treescapes Fund (LATF), have now completed.
Cumbria County Council secured £228,000 of funding following a successful application to the Forestry Commission’s Local Authority Treescapes Fund (LATF) to undertake the tree planting, with an additional match-funded contribution from the county council’s Environment Fund.
The LATF is part of the Government’s Nature for Climate Fund and is aimed at establishing more trees in non-woodland settings such as in riverbanks, hedgerows, parklands, urban areas, beside roads and footpaths, in copses and shelterbelts, including neglected, disused and vacant community spaces.
It aims to help the nation to build back greener from the pandemic, targeting landscapes which have been neglected in the past, ecologically damaged or affected by tree diseases such as ash dieback.
The council’s Environment Fund supports environmental enhancements to Cumbria’s highways, with each of Cumbria’s six Local Committees working with district, town and parish councils to deliver a range of improvement schemes in all corners of the county.
Tree planting sites include Abbey Road, Portland Crescent, Brathay Crescent, Island Road (Cavendish Park) and Ormsgill Community Centre (Millstone Avenue).
Greaves Tree Services and A E Yates Ltd were contracted to undertake the work which commenced in late November and completed this month.
Councillor Kevin Hamilton, Chair of Barrow Local Committee, said:
“I am delighted that works to deliver these vital environmental improvements in Barrow are now complete. This funding was important to not only support and protect the environment but improve the health and wellbeing of people in our communities both mentally and physically by providing greener spaces.”
Councillor Bill McEwan, Chair of the Barrow Environment/Tree Working Group and Vice-Chair of Cumbria County Council, added:
“It is great to see these trees now in situ across Barrow. As a Group, our ambition is to see sites for trees, wildflowers and hedgerows developed across the borough to improve our local environment and this latest planting supports this. Thank you to all those involved in the delivery of this project.”
