We are consulting you on our proposals to plant street trees across sites in Bath, Keynsham, Saltford, Peasedown St John, Paulton and Camerton. We would like to know your opinions on their proposed locations.
Once the consultation has closed, we will analyse your feedback. If we receive enough support, we will finalise our funding application and consolidate our tree planting plans. If these plans go ahead, we hope the trees will make a positive impact on residents and regular users of the streets.
The wider policy context
Tackling the Climate and Ecological Emergency is one of two core policies outlined in our Corporate Strategy 2020-2024. Our goal is to be carbon neutral by 2030.
Increasing tree canopy cover will play a key role in working towards this target. We hope increased tree cover will also increase biodiversity and improve public health and wellbeing.
Our second core policy is to give you, our residents, a bigger say about the things that affect you. Responding to this consultation will give you the opportunity to make your voice heard.
Background to the scheme
In October 2019 we agreed a motion to increase tree cover and develop a strategy for planting trees in Bath and North East Somerset. We set a target to plant 100,000 trees within our district by May 2023, in collaboration with partners and communities.
Read the annually updated Tree and Woodland Delivery Plan for more details on the strategy. This plan will be formally adopted in September/October 2022.
As a council, we are a member of the West of England Nature Partnership (WENP). We also aim to support the West of England Nature Recovery Network's (NRN) ambition to double woodland cover and urban tree cover across the district by 2050.
The WENP launched ‘The Forest of Avon Plan, a West of England Tree and Woodland Strategy’ in June 2021. Bath and North East Somerset falls within the Forest of Avon, one of England's Community Forests. Community Forests were established to connect people with trees locally.
We hope that the Tree and Woodland Delivery Plan will work alongside the Forest of Avon Plan to deliver positive results that suit the mixture of urban and rural characteristics of our area.