Riverlinx plan additional tree felling for Silvertown Tunnel
A consortium constructing the Silvertown Tunnel have submitted a new planning application which suggests more trees will be felled beyond those already approved.
Riverlinx have submitted a document regarding: “Requirement 6 (Landscaping Scheme) under Schedule 2 of The Silvertown Tunnel Order 2018 as it relates to additional tree removal for the construction phase of the scheme only“.
In 2019 plans were submitted to cut down 19 trees which were approved in January 2020. I covered the proposal which can be seen here. Now it appears more will go with over 100 to be removed.
The tunnel is due to open in 2025 and according to traffic estimates will lead to additional congestion across much of Greenwich borough, with junctions on the A2 at Kidbrooke and Eltham some of the worst hit alongside the A20.
Those forecasts were drew up before increases in housing were approved, such as 6,000 additional homes near the tunnel in Greenwich Peninsula.
Greenwich council have never opposed the tunnel and only requested a pause just before Sadiq Khan was to decide to proceed. He ignored the council and authorised the project which has seen costs grow to £2 billion. A later attempt by Hackney Council to oppose was rejected by Greenwich Council’s leadership. Newham Council over the Thames does now oppose the project.
Click here to view the new tree removal plan including details of trees to come down.
This is an outrageous, underhand way of pushing through Silvertown plans. 19 trees becomes over a 100!! The mix and variety too is scandalous, including many English Oak, which take decades to reach maturity, and replaced by what, saplings and tarmac? ER need to act on this, we need some tree hanging and I for one would be keen despite my age.
You can object to the planning application really easily by following the link in the story and clicking on the “comment” tab. I have. This is outrageous.
You can object but unfortunately all the planning applications for Silvertown with the suffix G do not seem to be subject to the same planning scrutiny as normal proposals and they have all been passed without discussion. Sadly, a couple of the threatened trees are critically endangered black poplars – one of the rarest native trees – but still doomed. There are still more trees to go as the northern car park nearest to the tube station is destined to become a multi-storey car park so that the O2 still has the same amount of parking despite losing the other areas to the new tunnel. So basically the only trees left will be the inevitable silver birches around the piazza. I don’t know where RIverlinx plan to do replanting because there will be virtually no space left with the new access roads and the new flyover out of the southbound Blackwall Tunnel. They can probably replace the lost trees in some other part of the country and get away with it.
What is the best way to get this stopped? Anyone have some thoughts here that would actually help?
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