Tree Planting
Redbridge Council has been awarded £375,270 from the Mayor of London's Green Roots Fund to support an ambitious tree planting programme that will deliver more than 1,000 new trees across streets, parks and housing estates throughout the borough over the next two years.
The funding forms part of the Mayor of London's wider investment in projects that are bringing nature back to communities and creating a greener, fairer and more climate-resilient London.
The programme will focus on the creation of greener streets, enhanced parks and improved housing estate landscapes.
We are planning to work closely with the Woodland Trust, who have a local presence at the Hainault Forest Visitor Centre and who co-developed the Tree Equity Score UK (alongside American Forests and the Centre for Sustainable Healthcare). We will use the Tree Equity Score to help ensure new trees are planted in areas that would benefit most from increased canopy cover and access to green spaces.
The creation of new trees and greener landscapes will improve air quality, support biodiversity, reduce urban heat and help manage surface water flood risk. It will also create more attractive neighbourhoods, support residents' health and wellbeing and improve access to green spaces for local communities.
A dedicated two-year aftercare programme will help ensure newly planted trees become well established and thrive for future generations.
How planting locations will be selected
The Council is currently identifying future planting opportunities across Redbridge using Tree Equity Score UK to help ensure new trees are planted in areas that would benefit most from increased canopy cover and access to green spaces.
There is a limited time to complete the first year’s planting target; therefore, a single ward, Hainault, has been identified with low tree cover and the majority of trees will be planted in this ward.
Before any planting takes place, locations will be assessed to ensure they are suitable and do not negatively impact access, visibility, underground utilities or existing infrastructure. Where appropriate, trial holes and underground service checks will be completed before final planting plans are prepared.
Residents living near proposed planting locations will be contacted directly as schemes are developed.
Keeping you informed
We will update this page regularly as the programme progresses so that it includes:
- possible planting plans viewed on our community tree portal
- sites identified for trial holes and planting
- tree species information
- community planting events
- volunteering opportunities
- frequently asked questions
- project milestones and progress updates
You can also receive updates by subscribing to our Our Streets: Waste, Recycling and Environmental Updates newsletter.
The community tree portal will also enable residents to submit enquiries and comments about proposed tree planting positions.
Updates
Regular updates to this page will be summarised below.
11 September 2026.
Identify Hainault as the target of tree planting in the first planting season, November 2026 to March 2027.
Possible planting locations for Hainault can now be viewed on our Community Tree Portal
The potential planting locations in Hainault will be re-surveyed for utilities, prior to the construction of trial holes to confirm suitability, and then residential properties will be notified of planting plans.
Frequently asked questions about street tree planting
Why plant on the street?
We will support the London Mayor’s target to increase tree canopy cover in London by 10% by 2050. The Council’s Climate Change Action Plan and Green Urban Landscape policy for council maintained land both identify that tree planting should be a priority and that this should include planting in urban areas to deliver the benefits of trees to where people live.
Why plant in my street?
This project proposes to plant trees on the footpaths outside residential properties to start replacing canopy cover that has been lost from private properties, to provide the benefits of trees directly to where people live.
We are currently identifying future planting opportunities across Redbridge using the Tree Equity Score UK to help ensure new trees are planted in areas that would benefit most from increased canopy cover and access to green spaces.
Can I choose the species of tree that will be planted?
The range of species that are suitable for a street is limited, so you will not be able to propose a species to plant; however, if you have a preference on flower colour we may be able to meet that request.
Provisionally species that are proposed are listed below:
- Amelanchier canadensis
- Crataegus laevigata 'Crimson Cloud'
- Crataegus monogyna 'stricta'
- Parrotia persica 'Vanessa'
- Prunus 'Kanzan'
- Prunus litigosa
- Prunus 'Royal Burgundy'
- Sorbus comixta 'Olympic Flame'
Can I have a tree outside my house?
Once planting plans have been created and shown on this website, if there is no position plotted on the plan outside your house, then either we did not consider the position suitable or the distribution of the trees on the road meant that a tree outside your house would have been too close to anther tree.
We are not currently seeking resident requests for a tree to be planted outside a house located outside of the area programmed to be planted this year.
Can I help look after a tree?
Once planted residents will be encouraged to adopt, water and sow native wildflowers in tree pits to improve establishment and increase biodiversity, for further information please see our Adopt and water a tree webpage.
Will the trees cause a mess with leaves and fruit and block light?
There are some negative effects of having tree near residential properties and these include dealing with fallen leaves and fruit and blocking light; however, the benefits of trees are considered to outweigh these seasonal nuisances. Additionally, trees will not be planted that produce large fruits, smaller species will be selected, the council’s cleansing team clear fallen leaves from footpaths on a regular programme and the trees will be regularly inspected and pruned to maintain them within reasonable bounds.
Will the tree cause damage to my house?
Tree related subsidence damage to houses is a complex risk that warrants careful consideration. Subsidence damage is not inevitable and is not predictable within an acceptable margin of error. When selecting tree species to plant in a road, we select the right tree so it does not get too large and the tree is added to a management cycle to maintain it within reasonable bounds.
The trees will be planted with a root barrier that will direct tree roots downwards and will reduce the likelihood of surface roots causing damage to footpaths.
Will the trees reduce car parking opportunities?
The tree positions that are chosen should not impact parking in the street; where suitable positions will be selected to go in between property boundaries so planting should not impact existing or future footway crossings. Where there is footway parking, tree positions will allow for enough room for vehicles to park on either side of the trees which should not reduce the total number of available parking positions in the road.
When a resident applies for a footway crossing to drive onto their property the arboricultural and horticultural team will be consulted as part of the application process and the size of the crossing may be reduced to preserve a future tree position; however, reductions in crossing width are unlikely to be significant and should only be around 60 centimetres.
How will the tree be maintained?
We have an established tree maintenance regime. In the first three years the trees should be watered, support stakes adjusted, and minor pruning work carried out to improve the tree’s form.
All street trees are inspected annually for safety and at least once every three years for pruning work to maintain the tree within reasonable bounds.
If any street tree dies it will be removed and a replacement tree planted in the winter.
What if my question has not been answered above?
If the information provided does not address your query relating to a tree identified on the planting plans, please contact us using the Community Tree Portal.
In order for the arboricultural and horticultural team to advance the project and provide sufficient time to investigate and respond to enquires about a proposed planting position, please only contact about us about this planting project if your enquiry relates to a position on a planting plan and that raises an issue not included in these frequently asked questions.
