The idea
The land is owned and maintained by the residents association which is funded by voluntary donations. It has become overgrown and unattractive, and we do not have enough money to complete this project. It suffers from fly tipping, looks unloved, and litter gets trapped in the bushes and undergrowth. In the evenings there is poor visibility and the area is very dark due to the trees and bushes which are really overgrown, and block the street lighting. It is difficult to cross at the crossing point due to poor visibility for both pedestrians and vehicles.
With the help of Transform Your Space Ealing, we'd love to re-designed the space so it can be easily maintained, is safer and more attractive. We want to create some space for the local community to enjoy. The residents are all keen to chip and do a bit of gardening, but it's too big for us to take on ourselves without expertise and funding. We would love some help!
What we'll deliver
- Redesign the space as a beautiful calm green space, between two busy roads
- Replace dying trees with ornamental cherry trees to restore the character of the area
- Plant a wildflower garden, attract bees to our beehive, bug hotel and give this un-used space new purpose
- Neutralise air pollution by planting more trees and low levels plants
Why it's a great idea
At the moment, this strip of land looks like an urban jungle, with added litter. It feels creepy and dark at night!
We want to make it beautiful as it once was when it was planted 80 years ago. It's important for our area to retain its heritage as a conservation area, we would enhance this by planting cherry trees, which the areas is famous for.
Our inspiration comes from the spring time when the blossoms are out and there is a beautiful feel on the estate.
The local residents and visitors would be the main benefactors. Local businesses could benefit from an increased footfall of people walking instead of using their cars and driving right by. We'd have a great new space!
We need this in our community as the residents put a lot of care and love into this area, and we can only contribute so much financially to pay for the upkeep of the area. We'd hate this 'thorn in the side' to deteriorate further.
Steps to get it done
- Engagement with local residents, develop options and refine community needs
- Identify existing trees to retain, prune and replace - carry out tree works
- Receive confirmation of the Mayor's Funding - celebrate!
- Detailed quotes for plants, trees, seeds & soil and make purchases
- Start work on clearing and planting garden space on site.
We have read the Mayor's Plan 'A city for all Londoners'. Our project fits well with these aims. We hope it will encourage people to walk to the local shops rather than drive, making our street healthier. Currently a 'rat run', we hope the opening up of the area would slow the traffic down. It's already traffic calmed, but vehicles still reach high speeds and we hope the improved visibility, natural light and beautiful scenery will encourage vehicles to reduce their speed.
The heritage of the area would be supported by the addition of new cherry trees and other trees such as silver birch and a wildflower meadow. We want to superbly design the space to include a path, trees, crossing points and enhance the quality of the greenery and the air quality in the area. If we can get community support and ensure road safety, we'd like to include things like bee hives, bug hotels and recreational space for everyone who lives on the Estate. For the children, we have a Play Street too!
