James Blake Associates Works to Preserve Native Poplar Trees
The first black poplar tree to be planted at Barratt Homes Kingsbrook development in Aylesbury, has taken root and children from a local school were on hand to help plant it.
The Black Poplar Tree
Black poplar trees are the most endangered native timber trees in the UK. The trees used to be a familiar sight in the British countryside but numbers have been on the decline for the last 200 years. They are particularly significant to the Aylesbury Vale as this is where half of the current population of black poplars can be found.
Barratt Homes is assisting in the conservation efforts of black poplars by planting a number of these iconic trees at Kingsbrook. The development will eventually be home to the largest black poplar woodland in the country.
The planting process of the black poplars is being overseen by ecologists Southern Ecological Solutions (SES) and James Blake Associates.
Children from Bierton Primary School, which is situated close to Kingsbrook, were also invited to the ceremonial planting of the first tree.
William Gadsby, teacher at Bierton Primary School, said:
“In order to select six children, we set them a task of finding out as much as they could about Black Poplar trees. I was overwhelmed by the amount of children who spent numerous hours researching the trees and why they are endangered. The children were truly inspired by it and thoroughly enjoyed the experience.”
Kingsbrook is an exciting development in Aylesbury, made up of three villages, Oakfield Village, Orchard Green and Canal Quarter. The new garden town will bring 2,450 new homes to the area, as well as infrastructure to support the development.
James Blake Associates has recently won a prestigious RTPI award (Royal Town planning Institute) for ‘Excellence in Planning for the Natural Environment’ for the work carried out at the Kingsbrook development.
