Chiswick Residents Win 'Tree Pits Tarmac' Battle

Hounslow Council agrees to remedial work in five streets

Work to reduce the amount of asphalt surrounding trees in five streets in Chiswick will begin following complaints from residents.

Hounslow Council said today that an independent study has broadly agreed with local residents who complained that in some locations, there was "excessive" asphalt around the trees. The streets in question are Mayfield Avenue, Foster Road, Wavendon Avenue, Thornton Avenue and Alywn Avenue who will all be reassessed.

The council said it had listened and responded to residents who commented that the amount of asphalt around the trees appeared excessive, even though it allows some rain water through and contributes to their health .

Residents contacted the council after work was carried out to replace old and worn pavements in the area and re-surface the asphalt around the trees (known as tree pits).

"An independent study was commissioned which broadly agreed with residents’ views that in some locations, the asphalt around the trees seemed excessive. Two tree pits were excavated in Mayfield Avenue to assess the impact on the trees of reducing the asphalt base. The results confirmed that the asphalt could be reduced and further assessments will be carried out in Mayfield Avenue before paving slabs are re-introduced," said Hounslow Council.

Four other streets - Foster Road, Wavendon Avenue, Thornton Avenue and Alywn Avenue – will also be reassessed.

Councillor Colin Ellar , cabinet member for environment, said: “We were happy to look into this issue when it was raised by residents.

“Our study found that in Mayfield Road, more asphalt had been used than was necessary, so we will reinstate paving slabs in some places while leaving an acceptable amount of asphalt around the base of the tree.

“In the other four streets we’ll look at things on a case-by-case basis. It’s really important to strike a balance between maintaining health and safety while at the same time not having a detrimental affect on the character of these streets.”

September 24, 2013