Works ensure safety of trees at Wisbech Park
Trees at Wisbech Park have undergone a thorough health and safety review and works programme to ensure visitors can continue to enjoy them into the future - with trees across the district to follow.
A full independent tree survey to assess the health and safety of the park's 200 plus trees and resultant works were carried out in a £40,000 programme, following a successful funding bid by Fenland District Council.
From left: Portfolio Holder for Open Spaces Cllr Peter Murphy, Open Spaces Officer Gemma Newell and Horticultural Officer Kevin Wilkins.
Cllr Peter Murphy, portfolio holder for open spaces, said: "It's vital that we monitor and maintain the safety of all the trees to allow visitors and residents to continue to enjoy our public open spaces.
"Access to quality green spaces is something that supports the health, happiness and wellbeing of our residents.
"I'm delighted we have been able to assess trees in the park, ensure they are as safe as they can be and to develop a programme to keep them that way into the future.
"Nature being what it is, we can never fully guard against a tree coming down, but we can do everything possible to avoid it."
The district council secured £19,000 towards the works from the UK Government's Levelling Up Parks Fund.
The council covered the further £21,000 investment from its parks extra works and planting budgets.
Wisbech Park
The scheme involved a thorough tree survey, arboricultural works and new tree planting.
A substantial amount of work has been done to ensure that trees in the Lynn Road park remain in a safe and maintained condition for the future.
A dozen of the park's 219 trees had to be removed due to being dead, diseased or in positions where they could not thrive. They have been replaced with 30 new trees.
Fenland District Council owns and ensures the maintenance of numerous parks and open spaces in Chatteris, March, Whittlesey and Wisbech and more than 40 play areas and skate parks across the district.
The council has recently invested in new software to minimise future costs of vital tree safety monitoring.
Over the next year it intends to carry out a district-wide review of the trees on all its land.
Article date: March 2023
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