The current landscaping and construction works to our village centre are now almost complete. From the feedback that we have obtained there is considerable satisfaction locally at what has been achieved, in particular the opening up and tidying up of an area that had become neglected and overgrown. Reviewing the works, the TMAEG committee recognises that, to a considerable extent, they correspond to the range of ideas that we ourselves had developed. Beyond that, however, we had a particular worry about the possible effect of the works at the eastern end of the site (at the rear of One Stop) on the root systems of our distinctive double avenue of Silver Maples. Indeed, TMAEG was formed following an earlier threat to their survival, and out of the campaign that eventually saved them.
In summary, the following works have been carried out to date in the western end of the landscape strip, our ‘central garden’:
Some additional parking spaces have been provided. They are parallel spaces – three next to the ambulance bay, and four within the island area – and your Committee agreed to them last year on the basis that the former, destructive, echelon proposal would not proceed. We have also stated that these small extensions to parking should now be the limit for our village centre.
One of the two cherry trees in this western section has been cut down and two new birch trees have been planted nearby. The Silver Maples have had their crowns reduced and some extraneous growth lower down has been removed.
All of the previous shrubs have been removed and they have been replaced in the western part of the central garden with a mixture of new shrubs, including Fatsia japonica (Castor Oil Plant) and Phormium tenax (New Zealand flax), and ornamental grasses.
Many of the walls in this section have been reduced in height which has opened up the area considerably, while also providing some informal seating.
A conifer – described by the Parish Council as a ‘christmas tree’ – is to be planted within the grassed area at the western end of the strip. We have expressed support in principle, subject to the details.
Eastern section – The original drawings for this section showed a couple of rectangular spaces between the two rows of maples, these being surfaced with breedon gravel – like the central reservations between the plane trees in Central Milton Keynes. Your Committee expressed strong concerns about this particular proposal, in particular about the effect of constructing these surfaces so close to the trees. We argued that that would pose a particular threat to their highly vulnerable root systems; while the gravel surfaces would be porous, roots would be likely to be severed, ground compaction can reduce the oxygen flow on which trees depend, and rainfall has been unusually low. This combination of factors could result in the loss of these trees.
We were delighted to learn that MKC’s tree expert agreed with us and the result has been a redesign of these spaces with significantly smaller areas devoted to gravel treatment. Also, these will be constructed without the significant excavation needed under the original plans, which would have proven to be so damaging. Providing that the works are carried out in accordance with the appropriate standards and guidelines, the TMAEG committee decided that it could now support MKC’s revised proposals which should fully safeguard these fine trees for the future. Indeed, we would like to think that they will still be around at the turn of the next century, giving pleasure to future generations.