National Tree Week shows it’s not just about new homes for Lendlease

With National Tree Week approaching its end, there’s still an opportunity to see how major developer Lendlease looks at more than just the construction of new homes in its projects.

The company specialises in major city-based projects which bring not only new housing, but other elements including commercial and retail units and alongside improved street layouts, public spaces and parks.

National Tree Week supports the planting of trees over winter as well as drawing attention to the year-round work of The Tree Council in expanding and nurturing the UK’s tree population. The environmental benefits of providing trees include air quality and temperature control, as well as forming areas for people to relax and participate in physical activity, be it walking, running, cycling or sport. There are even financial benefits for owners of homes which have the benefit of this kind of space on the doorstep.

The Capital Asset Value for Amenity Trees (CAVAT) scheme demonstrates these benefits by putting moetary value on trees in a local area, based on a variety of measures including girth, location, and visual and air-quality elements. Local authorities can then punish damage done to them to reflect what they bring to the neighbourhood and what it might cost to replace them.

Lendlease is working on two London schemes in particular which are supporting the work celebrated this week.

Elephant Park

The global developer is in the middle of providing over 2,500 homes to Elephant & Castle, one of the last areas in Zone 1 to benefit from significant investment. The brand new homes replace outdated and poor-quality housing from previous decades, while the area will also see its famous shopping centre brought up-to-date.

Two of the 24 acres of the site will be home for a new park, and overall, the project will provide 1,600 new trees to the site in addition to many mature examples that will be retained.

The new homes will be set amongst a number of tranquil courtyards, with exclusive areas of open space for family and communities to get together away from the public streets. Some are given over to residents to grow their own vegetables and herbs, while events for neighbours such as community barbecues.

Highwood Gardens is the latest phase at Elephant Park, with 307 suites, one-, two- and three-bedroom homes set around attractive courtyard gardens designed by leading landscape architects Gillespies. Prices start at £540,000.

Find out more at www.elephantpark.co.uk ;  020 3675 9955

Cambium

At the heart of this scheme in Southfields, south-west London, is a beautiful mature oak tree, believed to be 200-years-old and planted by world-renowned landscape gardener, Capability Brown. It is set in a meadow, around which is being built a collection of 55 townhouses and 55 apartments.

Lendlease paid a specialist tree surgeon and arboricultural consultancy, Tree Works, to ensure that the oak was well protected and undamaged by the construction process around it, advising on the movement of vehicles around it. Now living in a car park, the tree will see its surrounding transformed into a green space that will pass on far more nutrition to it.

Recently launched at Cambium is a brand new selection of mews houses with prices starting from £1.14m.

Find out more at www.cambium.london ; 020 3817 7000