Concerns raised over loss of trees at Tottenham development site

Campaigners are battling plans to remove trees from a “green sanctuary” in Tottenham to make way for a major redevelopment scheme.

Local group Friends of St Ann’s Green Spaces warns plans by Catalyst Housing Association to build almost 1,000 homes on the site of St Ann’s Hospital would lead to the loss of nearly 50% of the trees on the development section of the site.

More than 960 people have so far signed a petition calling on Haringey Council to reject the application, as the campaign group warns that “desperately needed” housing should not come at the expense of green spaces at a time of climate emergency.

Catalyst says “the vast majority” of mature trees will be retained and almost 400 new trees will be planted. But campaigners argue this is “entirely inadequate” because saplings absorb far less carbon dioxide from the atmosphere than mature trees.

Arboriculturist Russell Miller said: “The scale of tree and canopy loss is extraordinarily high. Given the climate emergency and record London temperatures in 2022, loss of canopy of this magnitude should lead to an automatic rejection of the design.

“People in London are dying from excessive heat and air pollution. A project that predicts an overall loss of canopy even after new planting should be unacceptable. All planning guidance in London is for increasing canopy cover.”

Plans drawn up by Catalyst and development partner The Hill Group to demolish disused buildings and build 995 homes at the St Ann’s Hospital site were submitted to Haringey Council in July.

An impact assessment submitted alongside the plans revealed they would lead to the removal of 114 individual trees, 30 tree groups and 260 metres of hedgerow – equivalent to almost one hectare of canopy cover. The existing canopy cover is almost 2.2ha and includes rare species.

Despite plans to plant new trees to make up for those lost to the development, the report concludes that the proposals would still lead to a net loss of 0.38ha of canopy cover – although it adds that “the provision of high numbers of large-growing species means this will be reduced in the very long term”.

Friends of St Ann’s Green Spaces says the proposals for the St Ann’s Hospital site go against Haringey Council’s declaration of a climate emergency in 2019 and its commitment towards achieving a net zero-carbon borough. It adds that a huge increase in woodland is required to meet net zero emissions by 2050, as emphasised in a recent report submitted to parliament by the Committee on Climate Change.

Last month, Haringey Council announced it was “developing a much more robust approach to protecting existing trees”. This will include a “dedicated trees policy with a clear expectation of developers to retain and protect mature and veteran trees rather than fell or damage them”.

But the friends group and twelve other local organisations have written an open letter to councillors warning this new approach would come too late for the trees on the St Ann’s site and suggesting the council’s promise of future action could amount to greenwashing. The letter backs calls for the planning application to be rejected, arguing the development “could and should be an exemplar of green planning and affordable housing”.

Dana Carlin, the council’s cabinet member for housing services, private renters and planning, said: “Trees play a vital role in addressing the climate emergency and providing natural habitats within Haringey. Therefore, protecting and preserving as many as we can across the borough is a key priority for the council.

“This is no different for the St Ann’s site. It has and will continue to be a significant focus of discussions with planning officers. At present, the proposed development retains a total of 100 trees and will plant an additional 388 new trees – including over 160 large trees.

“Now the planning application for this site has been submitted, the council’s tree officer will closely scrutinise the proposal and liaise with the developer to protect and maximise tree cover before the application is determined by [the] planning subcommittee.”

A Catalyst spokesperson said: “We will be planting almost 400 new trees and the vast majority of mature trees will be kept.

“Delivering much-needed new affordable homes for Haringey while protecting the environment is a delicate balance. The impact on nature has been at the forefront of our thinking throughout the design process, and we will be increasing the number and diversity of trees and achieving a net gain in biodiversity. Unfortunately, we are having to remove some – mostly smaller or less healthy – trees.

“Last autumn, we delayed our planning submission to find new ways of minimising the loss of trees and improving the habitat for plants and animals by redesigning buildings and changing the proposed layout of some roads.

“In addition, the existing Peace Garden at the heart of the site will be trebled in size to include new public realm areas and play spaces, and a network of new green spaces will be created around the existing trees. We are also retaining, protecting and enhancing the Site of Importance for Nature Conservation at the south of the site.”