National Tree week: Persimmon Homes set to plant over 400 trees at landmark site in Harwich
06 December 2022
Our Essex region is celebrating exciting plans to plant over 400 trees at new development site in Harwich, as part of National Tree Week.
The first of 427 new trees are due to be planted early in 2023 at Persimmon’s new development at Stour Close as well as retaining existing mature trees on site. The plans follow Persimmon’s recent donation of 1,550 trees to The Queen’s Green Canopy, an initiative to mark Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee.
In addition to the 427 new trees, Persimmon’s development at Stour Close will deliver other significant biodiversity benefits for the local area. The plans include the provision of large native hedgerows, long stretches of ornamental hedges, a wildflower meadow and a wet meadow area.
Existing boundary vegetation will also be retained and enhanced throughout the site, with the addition of two reptile refuges, hedgehog friendly fencing and a variety of bat and bird boxes. This forms part of Persimmon’s broader plans to enhance the biodiversity on its development sites and to achieve net zero for new homes by 2030.
Richard Hush, Managing Director of Persimmon Homes Essex said "we’re very proud of our plans at Stour Close and believe 427 new trees will make a positive difference to the local environment. Enhancing the biodiversity of our new developments is a key priority because we know this is an important issue for local residents. Last year Persimmon planted over 140,000 new trees across the country and this year, we’re keen to do even more.”
Cllr Jeff Bray, Cabinet Member for Planning at Tendring District Council added “this is a hugely exciting new development that will deliver much needed homes for local people in Tendring. The site reflects our commitment to creating sustainable and biodiverse new communities while also supporting local wildlife. We’re very excited to see over 400 trees being planted on site and look forward to working with Persimmon and other organisations to deliver on these priorities across Tendring."
Information on caring for wildlife can be found on our caring for your wildlife page.
