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The Trees Of Spitalfields Are Saved

March 24, 2015
by the gentle author

At the arrival of spring, it is my great pleasure to announce that – thanks in no small measure to the large number of objections submitted by readers of Spitalfields Life last week – the developers of the Fruit & Wool Exchange, Exemplar Properties, have withdrawn their application to fell the line of London Plane trees in Brushfield St and thus the trees are saved to flourish for another generation.

50 Responses leave one →
  1. March 24, 2015

    Great news, well done! Valerie

  2. Claudia Fisk permalink
    March 24, 2015

    I love your blog and although I am in Australia I was thrilled to hear the trees are saved!

    Claudia

  3. March 24, 2015

    oh good

  4. Sandie Stewart in New Zealand permalink
    March 24, 2015

    Congratulations the trees are saved. Same problem in Auckland NZ, a beautiful Kauri has been saved, these are wonderful trees, who are struggling with decease. They are the lords of the forest. Saved in the Titirangi area, a wonderful natural place – saved from the contractors.

    Greetings from New Zealand Sandra Stewart

  5. March 24, 2015

    ~ Hallelujah! ~

  6. March 24, 2015

    Hurray! Another triumph for the Gentle Author! Great work.

  7. March 24, 2015

    Great news to wake up too..

  8. Sarah permalink
    March 24, 2015

    SO PLEASED! Plane trees deserve respect and appreciation for their ability to thrive and forgive ill-treatment.

    Also V. PLEASED about your arm. That’s two good things this week..

  9. March 24, 2015

    Heartening news to wake up to, so pleased the trees are saved!

  10. March 24, 2015

    Dvelopers have no interest in a locality all they see is £ signs & will ride roughshod over any impediment to money making. As we know, this is happening all over our beautiful city!

  11. Lulu permalink
    March 24, 2015

    that’s wonderful news! it’s made my day and I’m sure yours too!

  12. Annette McCann permalink
    March 24, 2015

    Hurray! Well done Spitalfield Lifers!

  13. Bruna Cattini permalink
    March 24, 2015

    And so they should stay. They are part of the character of an area that has been dear to me since childhood. We cannot live in the past but should take a leaf out of Barcelona`s book and live`with`the past. Trees are of vital importance everywhere in the world not least in such a built up area as this part of East London.

  14. Rosemary Hoffman permalink
    March 24, 2015

    Delighted that you saved the landscape of Spitalfields as my ancestors knew them !

  15. Vicki Lovell permalink
    March 24, 2015

    Oh so pleased Gentle Author, and how wonderful, and I am glad that from Oz this reader could put in a vote, and thanks to your readers, as well, I am sure, of many others over there, it shows the common voice can make a difference. I am so happy for you all, and for those living in Spitalfields, and of course for the trees themselves…..happy happy day.

  16. Jasmin Leuthold permalink
    March 24, 2015

    Hurrah ! Congratulations to all who fought the campaign including our beloved “Gentle Author”.
    The money that would have been spent on lopping those precious trees would be better spent on youth apprentice schemes in the area.

  17. Wendyw1610 permalink
    March 24, 2015

    Fantastic result due to your hard work.

  18. March 24, 2015

    W-O-N-D-E-R-F-U-L !

    Love & Peace
    ACHIM

  19. March 24, 2015

    So pleased. As writing on the iphone I can’t access the reference from favorites but on the saveHOVE twitter acct last night I tweeted a link to a USGS article referencing a Nature one from 2013 of real importance concerning mature trees.

    Please spread the word: mature trees increase rate of growth and carbon capture value with age. They CANNOT be replaced by new plantings of saplings without sacrifice of carbon capture value for a generation.

    That said these trees need crown trimming by someone better than last time!

  20. Penny permalink
    March 24, 2015

    Well done Spitalfields Life – another triumph. Thank you. Let’s hope you’re as successful with Norton Foldgate.

  21. March 24, 2015

    Hurray! You really are a force for good!

  22. Sarah permalink
    March 24, 2015

    Thank you GA, I do admire your work so very much.

  23. Ian permalink
    March 24, 2015

    Congratulations G.A., that is a very good result. Our townscapes are becoming ever more treeless and it is terrific news when environmental vandals are made to change!! Ever more power to your elbow (once the plaster’s off)

  24. March 24, 2015

    This makes me incredibly happy. Thank you for first of all sharing the bad news and turning it into good news.

  25. March 24, 2015

    Great news! Just when we think no one is listening…POW!…someone hears! Hooray!

  26. SBW permalink
    March 24, 2015

    What great news for us all; well done to all. People Power does work! sx hope you are on the mend with poorly arm

  27. Andrew May permalink
    March 24, 2015

    This is good news. I was looking at the trees on sunday afternoon as I drank an excellent cup of coffee at the stall in front of Christ Church which has a perfect view down Brushfield Street!

    However it might be wise to petition or write to Tower Hamlets planners to ensure adequate protection is given to the trees during the demolition and construction period. Damage to the root systems, loss of branches and drying out of the trees could easily kill even mature specimens such as these. It can even happen that ‘accidents’ or neglect can remove the trees where a formal request has been refused!

    (Former chair of a local authority planning committee)

  28. Katya permalink
    March 24, 2015

    Thank you Gentle Author, and to all the many small, determined voices who fueled this quite large victory!

  29. March 24, 2015

    Thankyou and well done. If these trees had gone the street would loose its beauty and this could never be replaced. Horrible to think that in this day and age there are people out there who see the cutting down of trees as acceptable. Thankyou Spitalfields Life!

  30. armier permalink
    March 24, 2015

    Great to hear YOU are on the mend.

    And GOOD to hear about these trees.

  31. Evelyn Humphreys permalink
    March 24, 2015

    hurrah! well done everyone..

  32. Glennis Lennon permalink
    March 24, 2015

    I’m so pleased to hear these trees have been saved. I wish I could see the same message being printed on your page about the beautiful trees situated to the side of Whites Row car park now being demolished. Are these beautiful trees also to be hacked down..

  33. Sarah L Baldwin permalink
    March 24, 2015

    WELL DONE!!!!!!!

  34. Pauline Taylor permalink
    March 24, 2015

    Hurrah, as we had to say at school! Very well done, but please, please, bear in mind what Andrew May has said re developers destroying trees anyway as happened here in Colchester. See my previous comment on this subject.

    Also agree that the lopping has been very badly done in the past.

    Pauline.

  35. Annie S permalink
    March 24, 2015

    Yay…brilliant!

  36. Neville Turner permalink
    March 24, 2015

    A very good result for all and an even better one for the trees most of those trees have been alive longer than the residents of spitalfields.

  37. March 24, 2015

    Congratulations to all who helped save these trees! May the rest of your Save Spitalfields efforts yield equal success.

  38. March 24, 2015

    Great news!

  39. March 24, 2015

    Excellent news!
    This just is a clear message to the developers who threaten our beloved Historic Neighbourhood with such disrespect for all who live and work within it that we can make a change by using our voice.
    David Milne.

  40. JeanM permalink
    March 24, 2015

    That is great news! Well done

  41. Phillip permalink
    March 24, 2015

    Be certain to listen to the wise words of Andrew May… he is so very right! Winning the battle isn’t the same as winning the war.

  42. Jeannette permalink
    March 24, 2015

    good news, thank you.

  43. jane lewis permalink
    March 24, 2015

    So pleased to hear the good news. London needs it’s street trees.

  44. teapot permalink
    March 24, 2015

    Aww, that’s very good to hear.

  45. Linda M permalink
    March 24, 2015

    This is wonderful news! Congratulations GA and so pleased that your arm is on the mend.

  46. March 24, 2015

    Only last week I photographed these trees hoping that they wouldn’t become archive shots…well done for speaking out about their threat Spitalfields Life and thank goodness common sense has prevailed. Well done!

  47. Gill Hewitt permalink
    March 25, 2015

    Very good news

  48. Jackie Keith permalink
    March 25, 2015

    Wonderful to have some good news – people power at its best!

  49. Lori Newcomb permalink
    March 26, 2015

    Look what the Gentle Author can do with one arm tied behind his/her proverbial back! You and the community you shelter are an inspiration to us all.

  50. April 28, 2015

    What wonderful news. Mature plane trees are vital for biodivetsity, flood and pollution mitigation, not to mention their beauty and hugely beneficial impact on city residents’ wellbeing. Well done everyone.

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