Tuesday 18 January 2011

Thames Water to Re-Plant Hackney Wick Trees


The meeting at Gainsborough School next door last night was just the usual boring spin from the ODA. We have done this... Yada.... that Yada...... we aim to do this...... Yada

Yada yada yada......

But the section from Thames Water was definitely more inspiring.

As we should all know by now. Mainly because of last summers huge burst water pipe - Thames Water are replacing the water main along the tow-path. So the huge plastic pipe you can see just inside the electric fence at the moment - is going to temporarily pump water for Hackney Wick.

Meanwhile Thames Water get on with digging up the old Victorian pipe that burst - and replace it with some kind of super longer lasting one.

But in the course of digging it up - all the trees & vegetation that are left after the Olympics cut last them down - are definitely going to go! There is no avoiding this unfortunately. The Thames Water guy was most apologetic.

As compensation for this - and the noise & dust crated in the digging - he promised to replace the trees - like for like - and as close to where they were as possible.

Of course - they will be nowhere near as mature as the ones going, but it was a start.

I then begged - yes - begged him to plant even more trees than they chop down. Naturally - put on the spot - he didn't commit to anything - but made the right kind of noises for me to believe that he might consider our begging.

The absolute sheer ugliness of the Olympic Media Centre needs to be hidden from view from Leabank Square in years to come - but the sooner the trees are planted the sooner we can camouflage the media centre.

Richard suggested a line of beaches - which sounds like an excellent idea. They grow reasonably quickly - and can get quite tall. Could be made into quite a feature in years to come.

Anyway - please comment on this situation - and I can pass them on to the very nice man from Thames Water.

16 comments:

Anna said...

Sóna did you shout loud ENOUGH?! Surely they could move the pipe a few metres away? how about under the towpath? The olympic workers have been tramping all over the pipe everyday for 4 years so it can't be that dangerous for us ramblers to walk over.
Come on Sóna call your man up and make our feelings known a bit stronger.
Anna

Anonymous said...

You seriously think you can trust Thames water's web of deception? Anybody who believes in what they say is very naive. Thames are so far in bed with the ODA spin doctors that they know the exact location, colour, and size of their moles. I say keep strong people, demand that they plant twice as many trees, and maybe a nice barbecue area with a patio. We deserve it after all the nonsense we have had to put up with, it's virtually our right.

Timmy

Anonymous said...
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Anonymous said...

Who was the new oda dolly? Never seen her before. Oz seems to be breeding oda community girls just 4 us.

Paul said...

Anna I'm inclined to agree. We need to shout a bit louder about the trees. It is a crying shame that the olympics and now thames water think its acceptable to destroy the tiny bit of precious natural habitat.
After all the work we've been doing these past few years to get the birds to return to Leabank Square, now more nests are going to be destroyed! Not acceptable!
Sona, try harder!

Paul

Gill said...

I'm sure you put our points across Shona, but it doesn't sound like they listened too well. Maybe it's worth asking (begging then) them again to reconsider looking at every opportunity to save the trees. Thank you.
Gill

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Eileen said...

Hi Shona, please try again. I simply can't stand that we are going to lose the last few remaining trees, it really breaks my heart. Are they trying to drive us all to suicide? Do they really want us to only see huge grey blocks instead of green?
Eileen

Tom said...

Unacceptable. I think we should get British Waterways involved as well. Surely Thames water don't actually own the strip of land above each pipe they lay?
Tom

Tony said...

No way man. Theres only a few left anyway and now they wan to chop thme as well. Come on man

Anonymous said...

Don't you realise they are going to work 24/7 and give you a few trees

Dee said...

Shona push for as many mature trees as you can get mate. If we could get some of them giant sequoia trees from canada shipped over even better. We need a green screen between us and them warehouses.
D

mike said...

i saw the geeza reading the sun in his cab for 2 hours this morning but no digging yet. maybe they start tomoz
sent by blackberry

Anonymous said...

Sona, Dee's idea of the giant sequoias is rather a nice one. Maybe you could follow up your previous message to President Obama with a request for him to bring along an "Olympic" gift of some tall trees. The Olympic National Park in Washington State is unequalled as a place for hosting champion tall trees. The sequoia's range is pretty much limited to California, but the Olympic peninsula has red cedars and sitka spruce that would be pretty useful Olympic amenity enhancers (see picture of the Quinault spruce and more about the Olympic big trees at http://www.arthurleej.com/a-peninsulatrees.html )
Washington State is Bill Gates country, so you never know, he might like an invitation to contribute to the cost of installing the beauties.

Anonymous said...

I'd like an apple tree. Or maybe some blackberrys, I can never decide...

Paul said...

Owen, you really have hit several nails on their heads mate. I seriously think we should follow Owens suggestions Sona.
Imagine Gates & Obama bumping heads together to gift friendship trees to the East End?
It's a brilliant idea Owen, thanks.
Paul