Green oasis under threat at time of climate emergency!

Friends of St Ann’s Green Spaces are shocked to learn that Catalyst’s Housing development plans for St Ann’s Hospital in Haringey, North London, will result in the loss of 114 trees on the development section of the site.

St Ann’s Hospital site offers a green sanctuary for South Tottenham - an Area of Deficiency in access to nature as defined in the Mayor's London Plan. This NHS Forest site contains many rare and ancient trees, and a woodland SINC (Site of Importance to Nature Conservation), home to the rich variety of wildlife. Housing is desperately needed, but not at the expense of green spaces at a time of climate emergency.

Arboriculturist Russell Miller, says of Catalyst’s development plans:

"The scale of tree and canopy loss is extraordinarily high. Given the climate emergency and record London temperatures in 2022, loss of canopy of this magnitude should lead to an automatic rejection of the design. People in London are dying from excessive heat and air pollution. A project that predicts an overall loss of canopy even after new planting should be unacceptable. All planning guidance in London is for increasing canopy cover."

If agreed by Haringey Council, the proposals for St Ann’s Hospital site will go against Haringey Council’s Climate Emergency declaration in 2019, and its commitment towards achieving net zero carbon borough. Trees are the ultimate carbon capture mechanism, and the felling of mature trees at St Ann’s site will result in significant carbon release. Their replacement by young saplings will be entirely inadequate. A huge increase in woodland is required to meet net zero carbon emissions by 2050, as emphasised in the recent Committee on Climate Change’s Report to Parliament 2022.

StAGS believes that St Ann’s Catalyst Housing development could and should be an exemplar of green planning and affordable housing. We call on London Borough of Haringey to reject the current planning application from Catalyst Housing, and to require the developers to resubmit plans that truly address the issues of climate change.