Monday 7 February 2011

Save Garden Suburb oaks (no, we're not hysterical)

Just came aross a notice about a protest at Hendon Town Hall tomorrow, Tuesday 8 February, at 7pm against the removal of some old oak trees in Hampstead Garden Suburb. Brian Coleman recently made some derogatory remarks about Garden Suburb residents, calling them hysterical. Well, they're not hysterical here, but they are very worried, and I don't blame them.

I watched (I'm ashamed to say) as the trees on Grahame Park open space were felled and the park halved to make space for New Hendon Village, an ugly development of 'lakeside apartments'. I hope these oaks don't go the same way:
Insurance Companies greed responsible for death of bicentennial oak trees

Monday, 07 February 2011

Hampstead garden suburb disappearing in front of our eyes.

Barnet council want to fell 3 x 200 year old oaks in the hampstead garden suburb now!!

There is a meeting on tuesday 8th february at the Barnet [Hendon] town hall to determine the outcome of an application to kill 3 mature magnificent oak trees. A property developer has taken over the fabulous old tea house in Hampsteads northway and reports the oak tree roots are disturbing his house and will increase his insurance companies fees for the house, the trees are not on or near his property, nor does the developer live there! but perhaps wants to rebuild maybe? at some stage, and also maybe buy the electricity sub station adjacent also in the conservation area, where the accused offending oak trees are situated, he also wants to take down trees situated in the most beautiful quakers meeting house, also part of the ancient woodland which contributes in a valuable way to the environmental diversity of hampstead garden suburb.

The envionmental impact of tree felling is great.

Oak tree roots grow downwards and their roots never exceed their width.

Those trees are alive with life, squirrels, magpies, pigeons sunning themselves and endless birds, let alone the very fresh air we are able to breath and the wonderful smell of ancient traditional woodland that wafts in the area. There are documented 365 reasons why trees are valuable to the planet.

It is catastrophic that in a conservation area such as the suburb a few more bricks or a worried insurance company should be allowed to replace the natural environment and though we complain about the deforestation of rain forests we are doing more damage here to our very few remaining trees, which will be killed forever.

for more info please contact:
Kim Einhorn
0208 452 8518

or the council -
edward jones - planning officer trees and landscaping - barnet council 0208 359 4731
Papers for the meeting here.

5 comments:

David Duff said...

"Those trees are alive with life, squirrels, magpies, pigeons sunning themselves and endless birds, let alone the very fresh air we are able to breath and the wonderful smell of ancient traditional woodland that wafts in the area."

Or in other words, 'alive with grey rats, bird-killing birds and great waddling shit-producers, let alone the wafting odour of dog urine from the base of the tree against which every mongrel in the district cocks its leg!'

Only teasing, and to prove it here's a jolly anthem for all of you to sing as you link arms round the trees as the electric power saws approach:

There is a tree grows near our house,
It’s been there quite some time,
Now, the tree is a slippery elm tree,
And awful hard to climb:
But when my wife gets after me,
In that tree I always roost:
Why, I can go right up it just like a healthy squirrel,
I don’t never need no boost!

Now, the other day a woodman came round,
To chop my refuge down;
Kept mumbling something about wanting to split it into kindling wood,
And then spreading it round the town.
I said to him, I said ‘Look here my friend,
‘Hold on, desist, whoa, stop!
‘Put down that forest razor,
‘Chop not a single chop!

‘Woodman, woodman, spare that tree,
‘Touch not a single bough!
‘Three years it has protected me,
‘And I’ll protect it now!’
‘Go chop an oak, get a birch or pine,
‘But save old slippery there, that’s mine:
‘That’s the onliest tree my wife can’t climb!
‘Mister woodman, spare it for me!’

I said to him, I said ‘Woodie, can you see that hole,
Way up near that old tree top?
‘Now, I’ve got five dollars in soft money up there,
‘And it’s yours if you refuse to chop!
‘Now no-one can climb that tree but me
‘ because, ‘really, friend it’s too slippery:
‘Fact of the matter is I can’t get up there very well myself,
‘Unless my wife is after me!’

‘Now I’m going to go home and get my wife,
‘And proceed to call her a very naughty word:
‘And all you do is stand by,
‘While I do that imitation of a bird!
‘But you ain’t gonna know just where I go,
‘At least while my wife’s around,
‘But the only thing I’m gonna ask you, Mister Woodie,
‘Is, if you don’t see me here on the ground:-‘

‘Woodman, Woodman spare that tree,
‘Touch not a single bough!
‘Because I’m gonna drop all five down to thee,
‘The one I promised thou!
‘But you must make that axe behave
‘Because old slippery there just must be saved;
‘That’s the borderline ‘twixt me and the grave!
‘Mister woodman, spare it!
‘Spare that tree!
‘For ME!!!


http://www.monologues.co.uk/Parodies/Woodman-Parody.htm

Mrs Angry said...

... interested to see you are so preoccupied with wood, Mr Duff (pass me that Freud for Dummies, someone, will you?) ... just back from Spearmint Rhino, are you?

and I like the idea of you inciting rebellion in Garden Suburb, Vicki: from little acorns great oaks grow & all that ...

Citizen Barnet said...

The prize for the most turgid verse goes to...

However, DD, your comment reminded me of someone else having tree trouble at the moment: Cameron! Wish I could find that cartoon of him sitting on a branch as he simultaneously saws it off the trunk.

baarnett said...

I could only find an economic angle to Mr Cameron and trees, in The Independent.

baarnett said...

And, rather tenuously, in The Guardian.