What is Plant Eastleigh?
Plant Eastleigh is our drive for residents, businesses and community organisations to join us on our mission to plant 160,000 more trees in Eastleigh Borough by 2030.
In February 2020, Eastleigh Borough Council announced its largest ever tree planting scheme with the goal of planting 160,000 more trees in the Borough by the year 2030.
The announcement followed our decision to declare a climate and environmental emergency the previous year. Planting significant numbers of trees is a key part of our plans to help the Borough reach carbon neutrality by the year 2030 and bolster biodiversity in the area.
Why trees?
A single tree can absorb as much as 22kg of carbon each year, and it can lock away one ton of CO2 by the time it reaches the age of 40. Trees also provide vital habitats for all kinds of native wildlife. All our planting is done under the expert guidance of our ecologists to ensure it offers the maximum benefit to local wildlife.
Trees are not only good for the planet and local wildlife, they’re good for us too. Trees help to absorb harmful air pollution and studies have shown they can have a positive impact on mental health too - making us feel calmer, happier and more creative. There is even research to suggest crime is less prevalent in areas with more trees.
Our tree nursery at Horton Heath
To reduce the distance our trees have to travel before they are planted, we want to grow as many as possible in the Borough itself.
To that end, we’ve set up a Council-run tree nursery in Horton Heath. There are currently over twenty thousand trees growing at the 2.8 hectare site, offering us a sustainable supply of locally grown, native species of tree.
Protecting trees in the Borough
We don’t just want to plant new trees. We want to protect the ones we have.
We’ve recently set out a robust new planning policy to better protect existing trees in the Borough from development. The Trees and Development Supplementary Planning Document (SPD) will ensure trees are fully considered by developers and that there is a net gain of trees on development sites.
That means existing trees are viewed as important assets on a new development and careful consideration must be given to incorporating them into the design, as well as protecting them during construction. It also includes an extensive tree replacement policy with, for example, up to eight replacement trees required if a large tree must be removed. Ancient and veteran trees are given higher levels of protection, including buffer zones and root protection areas.
The Council has a zero-tolerance approach to the illegal destruction of trees and will pursue enforcement action against those responsible.
“The true meaning of life is to plant trees, under whose shade you do not expect to sit.”
— Nelson Henderson