Client: Nottingham City Council
When: February and March 2023
Our valued client Nottingham City Council contacted us to help with work on Castle Boulevard and Lenton Boulevard. This was part of the Streets for People project.
Streets for People is a project that was launched in Nottingham, UK in 2020, aimed at creating safe and attractive streets for pedestrians and cyclists. The project is a response to the COVID-19 pandemic, which has highlighted the need for more space for people to move around safely while maintaining social distancing. The Streets for People project is part of a wider initiative in Nottingham to create a more sustainable and liveable city, with a focus on improving air quality, reducing congestion, and promoting active travel.
It is important to consider the impact of tree cutting when planning a Streets for People project. Trees provide numerous benefits such as shade, reducing air pollution, absorbing stormwater, and enhancing the aesthetics of an area. In this project it was necessary, to remove dead wood, lift the trees to highways specification and to clear back from adjacent buildings. It was all done in a way that minimizes the impact on the environment and the community. All local residents were notified prior to works.
Due to the position, size and structure of the trees the work required the road closures to ensure a safe work area is available to the operatives carrying out the works and pedestrians and road users were not exposed to working machinery and risk of falling materials. Road closures were in place between 09:00 to 15:30 each day with diversions in place for main through traffic but access to properties and businesses was maintained by traffic management operatives at each point of closure.
The work could not be carried out during the summer months due the majority of trees at these locations being London Planes, which can have a negative health impact on operatives working on them during the growing season. The works had been assessed and required completion before Spring 2023. The works were essential to ensure that the health and safety of the trees were maintained and the potential for tree‐related damage and nuisance is kept to a reasonable minimum, to maintain healthy tree structures, ensure clearances for Highway traffic, pedestrians and maintain clearances from properties, street lighting and road signage etc.
This was a great project to be a part of and work alongside Nottingham City Council to help improve the city centre.
