Wellington Park - Urban Park Project

A nice example of Pinus Pylonus behind the Urban Park Project sign.

There has been a lot of tree and shrub planting next to the Wellington Park housing development recently. This magnificent Pinus Pylonus is near the road and I managed to take this superb photo while the Sun was out. This isn't the tallest I have seen, but it is a good specimen for the area and it's great that the council and developers decided to keep it. You can see to the rear and right of the photo an area of shrubs has been planted.

Tree causes train delays between Southampton and Portsmouth

Travelled to Southampton today and as we passed a stationary train on it's way to Portsmouth, I noticed it had stopped and had a number of tree branches lodged in the front.
Our train stopped by the Portsmouth train and the guard annnounced there would be a delay because of a tree on the line.
After a few minutes the driver was asked to move slowly forward to take a closer look.
The photo is what was found. Luckily the branches were thin and the tree had fallen on the opposite side of the line. The Portsmouth train had scythed through the branches, effectively clearing the line.

Sad news in Waterlooville

Big old tree chopped down in Waterlooville:

Bad news. An establshed Waterlooville street tree has been felled. Photo of the Monterey Pine taken a few years ago. pic.twitter.com/HkE2AF8I42
— Havant Borough Trees (@HBTreeWardens) June 20, 2014

Also the Waterlooville Model Shop has closed.
The notice in the shop window says that the lease ran out and Paul the owner is looking for premises in Portsmouth. Sort of sums up Waterlooville, greedy landlords are shaping our future along with supporting councillors. What happened to the Conservatives 'localism' agenda? we seem to have the locally run councils just implementing the national government policies. The exact opposite of what they claimed localism is about.

Sainsburys chop down trees for a petrol station

As Waterlooville is being turned into a building site (thanks to the Conservatives dumping any ideas of being environmentally aware) Sainsburys is duplicating Asdas actions by chopping down green things so that they can build a petrol station. This time it is trees that were originally a part of an old and established hedgerow that ran along the original path of Hambledon Road.

As a part of the plan to build a big store, Sainsburys is 'upgrading' the roundabout, thus allowing more cars to interfere with the pedestrian route into Waterlooville. Both the petrol station and roundabout developments have resulted in numerous trees being felled and ground being laid to waste.

Both Asda and Sainsburys seem to have plans for increasing green house gas emissions in the area, supported by the Brown party, namely The Conservatives.

Asda put fuel sales before plant life

In the race to supply fossil fuels to the public and with the prospect of Sainsburys building a petrol station to compliment their new store, Asda has built a petrol station in the car park near the Asda store.
The car park has had thick vegetation and trees planted around the perimeter to visually hide it from public view and this has worked for many, many years. The West of Waterlooville has been quite green with vegetation for a long time now, but it seems that marketing, bad planning and profiteering is overriding common sense.

The 'hedgerow' that once surrounded the car park has now been thinned out, but not thinned all around the car park, just the bit that was hiding the Petrol station from public view. From the photo you can see the vegetation at the back is thicker than in the forground. To the right you can see the roof of the petrol station, the vegetation has been cleared so that cars approaching Waterlooville along the dual carriageway can see the Petrol station.

It's sad, but this imitates the larger picture we have today, where the environment is not integrated into economic, community and political thinking. A large American corporation is putting petrol sales and the production of green house gas emissions above wider community interests and the environment.

The silly thing is that it is far more noticeable because they only thinned out a section that was clearly blocking drivers views of the Petrol station!

It's a pity that Asda can find the money to chop down bushes and other vegetation, but can't find the money to pick up the garbage dropped by it's shoppers and is a direct result of their operational policies.

But then their corporate mentality and the people they employ at the top are not interested in integrating nature into their business model.

Hambledon Parade 2007 to 2013

Some then and now photos:

The hedgerow gone and replaced with flats. Some new bollards installed at the Sunnymead Drive entrance to Hambledon Parade.

Just before the work started on Wellington Park, I took some photos from within the fields.
The 2013 photo here is an approximation of where I was standing in 2007. I might have been further back from the pylons in 2007, or the lens on the older camera gave a wider angle view in 2007.

If I was further back from the pylons, then where I was standing in 2007 is now inside one of the ground floor flats.

Lots happening all over the place!

This weekend First buses bring their new timetable and bus numbers into action. The switch occurs on Sunday I think.

There is a lot of public support for the Fareham Photovoltaic solar farm. From what I have seen of Vogts plans, they appear to have done a lot of homework. This includes research into aviation issues, biodiversity and environmental managment. Even the councils officers seem to like it. Implementation of the project would increase biodiversity since the land is currently a typical mono-crop farm.

Haven't heard much about the smaller solar farm proposed near Clanfield. In theory that is less controversial, especially as it is near a big electricity sub station.

Bad news about Ash trees though. I think with climate change and aggressive diseases attacking our native species, we are going to see some big changes in the UK tree population in the coming 100 years.

However Havant Borough Tree Wardens got a load of cash to plant over 5000 trees.

The battle of Scratchface lane continues over at Bedhampton. It's the only place where locals have any common sense.

Sainburys in action?

I think this is the start of the Sainsburys development in Waterlooville. First thing they do is chop some trees down next to the old Sprint Print building. I assume it is to improve access and the roundabout area. This section was actually the original field boundary between a farm and Hambledon road, when the dual carriage way was built, more trees were added to the existing hedgerow.

 

Another chunk of trees removed. This time for a disability ramp sweetner that Sainsburys chucked in to oil the wheels of planning approval. The ramp will make it easier for electric disability buggies and wheel chairs to access Waterlooville and I guess Sainsburys. Yes it is needed, but maybe if the HBC/HCC planners thought about people instead of just cars, we wouldn't be in this situation today.

 

Tree carnage. The price we pay for bad planning in the past (disabled access is not possible via the underpass, or rather legislation means that a ramp at the underpass would be to steep for wheelchair users) and the climate changing love of cars that enables Sainsburys to exist.

Jubilee Park tree trail

Havant Borough Tree Wardens have produced a leaflet about the trees of Jubilee park near Waterlooville. The tree trail leaflet is available to download from the HBTW web site and a printed version is available from local community centres and other public places.

The idea behind the leaflet is to create interest in trees in the park and local area. The leaflet includes a history of the park, FAQ about tree parts, a map indicating the location of different tree species, photographs and descriptions of each tree in the trail.

The national Tree Warden scheme will be celebrating its 20th anniversary in September this year.

Find out about trees in our area

You can learn more about trees and the local tree warden scheme on the 2nd June at a FREE event organised by Friends of the Earth and Havant Borough Tree Wardens. The Havant Borough Tree Officer and the Tree Warden coordinator will be at the meeting to discuss the scheme and tree matters with the hope of recruiting more volunteer tree wardens in the following areas:

Havant
Bedhampton
Langstone
Leigh Park
Waterlooville


Time: 7.30pm
Date: Tues 2 June
Place: United Reform Church Hall , North Street, Havant.

Talking Trees in Havant

A bit late posting this, but if you are interested in protecting trees in the borough then why not go along to this event:

"Talking Trees in Havant"
What we can do to nurture our trees.
A view from Ann Jolly, Havant Borough Tree Wardens
15th April, 7.30pm
Nineveh
11 The Pallant, Havant

Also, currently Waterlooville could do with a few more Tree Wardens.

The view from Hambledon Parade, May 2008

Having put up a wood fence, Wimpey's West of Waterlooville MDA contractors decided to rip half of it down again and instead put up a standard building site metal fence. Note the lovely trees in the distance, they are still standing, lets hope they are still there in a few years. The big native British trees are homes for hundreds of insect species. Typically Oak is home to some 420 species, Birch to some 330, Elm 120, Beech 90 etc.

Recently the London Zoological Society pointed out that 30% of species across the world had been made extinct by human activity since the 1970s and the rate was continuing at 1% per year.

Added: (19/05/08) Natural England today published its first report about English wildlife. The conclusion being similar to the Zoological Society, English species are in danger due to climate change and developing land for human use.

ZSL biodiversity report
Natural England - State of the Natural Environment

Wimpey start the Waterlooville destruction

Before Wimpey start the West of Waterlooville MDA destruction...




... and not long after they start, hedgerows and trees chopped down.