Press Release
Wednesday 19 March 2008
The London Clinic donates trees for
community
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Harley Street has received a major facelift that has transformed
it into a tree-lined road for the first time in its 300-year
history with the introduction of 45 pear trees.
The iconic street, which had been tree-less since it was built
in the early 18th century, today underwent the largest street tree
planting scheme of its kind in Westminster, which is bucking a
London-wide trend by increasing the number of trees across
the city.
But visitors to the street, world famous for
its medical expertise, will not be able to add street pears to
their portion of five a day as although the American species
produces a dazzling spring bloom of white flowers, it
does not fruit.
Westminster City Council's Director of Environment and Leisure,
Dr Leith Penny, said: "I'm confident these trees will add welcome
greenery that will not only make
it an even more attractive street to walk in,
but help attract more wildlife.
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"Although Westminster is one of the busiest and most densely
populated areas of the country, it is essential we help encourage
biodiversity. At a time when most other areas are seeing a
reduction in the number of trees, in Westminster we're planting
more year on year."
The new tree-lined Harley Street features Chanticleer Pear
trees, chosen for their resistance to disease and to the capital's
erratic weather conditions, as well as for their attractiveness.
The trees retain their leaves for most of the year and their growth
is narrow and upright - a necessary feature to avoid causing
problems to the historic buildings they will be growing next
to.
The 45 trees line the street among its entire length, from
Marylebone Road to Cavendish Square. The work was completed on 19th
March.
The Chanticleer Pear saplings are currently five years old and
about 10-12ft tall, with a diameter of about 5cm. Over the next 30
years, they will grow to a maximum height of 30ft, bearing leaves
every year from April to November without producing fruits.
The purchase and planting of the 45 Chanticleer Pear trees,
which amounted to about £13,500, was a direct result of a £150,000
contribution made by The London Clinic to Westminster Council as
part of a required S106 legal agreement for local developers.
The London Clinic is currently in the progress of building a
state-of-the-art cancer centre at the site of 60-62 Marylebone High
Street and 21-22 Devonshire Place, for which it acquired planning
permission in December 2006.
In addition to the purchase and planting of the pear trees, the
£150,000 contribution will go towards a number of other community
improvements, to include the 'upgrading' of local gardens and the
provision of CCTV in Marylebone High Street.
Westminster's tree planting programme, which is implemented each
year between November and March, always results in trees being
planted in streets that have formerly been devoid of tree
cover.
On average, the council plants 250 trees every year. This has
been happening since the early 1970s, when the programme was
instigated in order to improve the appearance of Westminster's
streets and quality of life for Westminster residents and
visitors.
The decision to enrich Harley Street with 45 trees followed
requests from local residents and the popularity of the tree
planting programmes carried out in recent years in the nearby
Devonshire Place and Upper Wimpole Street, which both saw the
introduction of at least 20 trees.
ENDS
For more information please call Francesca Pompili at
Westminster Council on 020 7641 2259
For information regarding The London Clinic, please contact
Tracey Thompson on 020 8786 3860 or email
tracey.thompson@trinitypr.co.uk or
pressoffice@thelondonclinic.co.uk
Notes to Editors
The tree planting process took 10-15 days, leading up to a Tree
Planting Ceremony on 19 March, when the last tree was planted at
12.30pm. The Ceremony was attended by the Duchess of Devonshire,
the Lord Mayor of Westminster, Cllr Alan Bradley and Cllr Harvey
Marshall.
Section 106 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 allows a
local planning authority to enter into a legally-binding agreement
or planning obligation with a land developer. The obligation is
sometimes referred to as "Section 106 agreement". An example of a
requirement of a S106 agreement is a developer's obligation to
provide a financial contribution towards tree planting.
Since Westminster's tree planting programme started in the early
70s, the Council has planted over 7,500 trees on the streets of
Westminster. This number excludes the trees that are replaced every
year.
Chanticleer Pear trees were originally developed in 1965 in a
specialist nursery in Ohio, US, by Ed H. Scanlon, one of the
founders of the Society of Municipal Arborists (SMA).
Harley Street is one of the most famous streets in London,
internationally recognised as a centre of private medical
excellence. It is home to over 1,000 medical practitioners, with
more than 3,000 people employed in its hospitals, clinics and
medical practices. The street boasts former famous residents
including Victorian politician William Gladstone and the artist
Joseph Turner.
The new cancer centre will comprise 47 individual bedrooms and
22 day care pods in a modern purpose-built environment. It will
provide radiotherapy, chemotherapy, transplant and other
specialised haematology/oncology facilities.
The London Clinic is one of the UK's most established
independent hospitals. Located on Harley Street - in the heart of
London's medical community - it has a long-standing international
reputation, attracting leading consultants who carry out complex
procedures, in addition to routine surgery and medicine. It
provides a 24 hour consultant-led critical care unit.