Request ID: FOI-0529-2122 Date published: 06 September 2021
You asked
1. Thank you for confirming that three trees on Tower Bridge Road have been felled and that no more trees on TBR are due to be felled. Please can you confirm if that means that as of today there are no trees on TBR identified as 'dangerous' or as 'potentially dangerous'?
2. I was told by the tree felling team that the 3 trees were identified by a recent tree survey. How often are these surveys conducted? If all the other trees have been deemed safe in the most recent survey when will the next survey take place?
3. As a resident directly facing (and benefitting from) one of the felled trees, I was given no warning of the planned felling. Would notice have been made publically available? Would, for example, the developer of my building (Newhams Yard, 153 TBR - developer is Galliard) have known about the planned felling?
4. I requested from your colleague a copy of the pollarding schedule for Tower Bridge Road. Please can you provide this.
5. Further to confirming the pollarding schedule, please can you confirm: (a) the exact date(s) when the trees on TBR are next due to be pollarded? (b) when these trees were last pollarded? (c) how often are these trees pollarded? (d) after being pollarded how long do the trees take to regrow full leaf coverage?
We answered
TfL Ref: FOI-0529-2122
Thank you for your request received by Transport for London (TfL) on 11 June 2021.
Your request has been considered in accordance with the requirements of the Environmental Information Regulations and our information access policy. I can confirm that we hold some of the information you require. You asked:
Thank you for confirming that three trees on Tower Bridge Road have been felled and that no more trees on TBR are due to be felled. Please can you confirm if that means that as of today there are no trees on TBR identified as 'dangerous' or as 'potentially dangerous'?
We don’t record trees as ‘dangerous’ or ‘potentially dangerous’ rather through regular inspection we record the condition of highway trees (as are any defects associated with the tree). If there is an increased risk to highway safety posed by the condition of a tree or a defect affecting safety, we will undertake appropriate works to manage this. At the time of the last inspection there were no other trees noted as being in a condition or with defects which would necessitate the removal of a tree.
I was told by the tree felling team that the 3 trees were identified by a recent tree survey. How often are these surveys conducted? If all the other trees have been deemed safe in the most recent survey when will the next survey take place?
We survey our trees annually regardless of the results of the previous survey. The surveys for this current financial year are due to take place between July 2021 and March 2022.
As a resident directly facing (and benefitting from) one of the felled trees, I was given no warning of the planned felling. Would notice have been made publically available? Would, for example, the developer of my building (Newhams Yard, 153 TBR - developer is Galliard) have known about the planned felling?
At this time, we are not obligated to notify of tree removals.
I requested from your colleague a copy of the pollarding schedule for Tower Bridge Road. Please can you provide this.
Aninstruction was issued to our contractors to pollard 52 trees on Tower Bridge Road in April, as detailed in the attached document. Limited works have been scheduled to take place from 24 June where no traffic management is required (lane closures, temporary traffic signals etc). The remaining works are scheduled from 3 July onwards, with most works taking place at the weekend to keep disruption to a minimum.
Further to confirming the pollarding schedule, please can you confirm: (a) the exact date(s) when the trees on TBR are next due to be pollarded? (b) when these trees were last pollarded? (c) how often are these trees pollarded? (d) after being pollarded how long do the trees take to regrow full leaf coverage?
We do not have exact dates but as per the answer to the previous questions we can provide the date when works are due to start.
Pollarding works take place approximately every five years. We do not have a record of the specific dates that this was last done.
We expect that there will be a reaction from the trees this summer and leaf/canopy cover will be produced. The canopy area will expand/recover with each growing season until the works are repeated.
If this is not the information you are looking for, or if you are unable to access it for any reason, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Please see the attached information sheet for details of your right to appeal as well as information on copyright and what to do if you would like to re-use any of the information we have disclosed.
Yours sincerely
Eva Hextall FOI Case Management Team General Counsel Transport for London
