Free trees on the way to over 100 Derby households
Published: 10 November 2023
The trees will be a mix of fruit and ornamental species.
160 free trees are ready to be given out to households and schools thanks to the Our City, Our River (OCOR) Garden Trees Scheme.
102 households took up the offer of a free tree earlier this year, as part of the flood defence project’s replanting programme.
Those who applied to the scheme will start to receive their trees in at the end of November in time for the key planting season.
As well as the households, three schools will also receive a number of trees to provide shade, habitats for wildlife and improved Forest School areas.
Almost half of the trees are fruit trees, including apple, pear cherry and plum. The rest are a selection of ornamental trees such as Silver Birch and Hawthorn.
This tree replacement initiative is just one of a range of environmental enrichments that are being implemented, including new habitats for birds, bats and otters, and a new fish refuge lagoon constructed near the Mill Fleam pumping station.
So far, OCOR has planted 433 trees, more than replacing those that have already been removed to make way for new flood defences. The project is aiming to plant a further 1422 over the coming years.
Councillor Carmel Swan, Cabinet Member for Climate Change, Transport and Sustainability, said:
“I’m delighted to see such a positive response to the Garden Trees Scheme and I’m sure the recipients will enjoy the benefits of their new trees for years to come.
“While some trees have been removed already to make way for flood defences, citizens should be reassured that Derby stands to benefit from a larger, more widespread tree canopy once the OCOR project is complete.”
OCOR flood defence network include floodgates, flood walls and a state-of-the-art pumping station on the Mill Fleam. The defences were most recently put to the test during Storm Babet, where over 2,000 properties benefited from their protection.
Plans for the next stage of OCOR involve a series of transformative changes at Derby Riverside, which will deliver further flood defences, an urban community, and further sustainable development opportunities. The planning application for these works has been submitted and can be viewed on the Derby City Council planning portal.