Most of us like trees and they are of course very important. This week is designated National Tree Week. As part of it, hundreds of thousands of trees are being planted in communities across England thanks to government funding directed through the Nature for Climate Fund.
260,000 trees will be planted outside of woodlands with 139 local authorities taking part. It will see local residents, schools and environmental groups coming together to plant trees in shared spaces. These initiatives will restore trees to non-wooded areas such as riverbanks, along hedgerows, and beside roads and footpaths.
Trees in our towns and cities make our local environment healthier and more pleasant places to be, can help boost people’s wellbeing as well as contributing towards efforts to tackle climate change, so this initiative is to be commended for all the right reasons.
I think we are fortunate in Crawley to have so many trees, not only lining many of our streets, but in parks and gardens, and of course having many areas of woodland of varying sizes. There is always a wonderful array of colours throughout the autumn that helps to lift spirits. A haven for wildlife, every woodland has its own unique feel.
As well as several woodlands within Crawley, we are blessed to have forests just outside the town’s boundaries to the south and the southwest. As well as planting new trees, it is a no-brainer to protect the trees we have, especially our woodland and forests.
Crawley’s rural fringes are being eroded and I am very uncomfortable about the plans for a Centre Parks resort within Worth Forest, immediately to the south of Crawley. It is obvious that hundreds of trees will be cleared, with the ancient woodland becoming a ‘sanitized version’ of its former self, with much less biodiversity and greater intrusion for the remaining wildlife. I’m sure it will look nice, but looking nice isn’t what is best for the environment. This is within Mid-Sussex, so regrettably the planning application won’t be decided by Crawley Councillors, even though we are the population centre right next to it.
Councillor Duncan Crow, Leader of Crawley Borough Council Conservative Group
4th December 2021
