City centre tree planting gets under way

By Simon Bristow, Co-Editor

Central Hull is to get a lot leafier with the planting of more than 300 trees.

As part of the Queens Gardens redevelopment, trees are being planted at Victoria Dock, Connexin Live, Liddell Street park and Hull History Centre.

So far 60 of an eventual 323 trees have been planted so far including a wide range of species to enhance biodiversity and air quality throughout the city centre and surrounding areas. The species include Acer campestre (field maple), betula pendula (silver birch), prunus padus (bird cherry), ginkgo biloba (ginkgo) and three separate varieties of ulmus (elms), all of which are certified as resistant to Dutch elm disease.

A further 98 trees have been planted in Queens Gardens as part of the first phase of planting, with species including metasequoia glyptostroboides (dawn redwood) and taxodium distichum (swamp cypress), ginkgo biloba, Acer freemanii (autumn blaze) and silver and Himalayan birch to name a few.

For every tree removed as part of the process of redeveloping Queens Gardens, three will be replanted ether within the gardens or elsewhere.

Councillor Mike Ross, leader of Hull City Council, said: “Now, as tree planting in Queens Gardens is nearing completion, this phase of off-site planting is well underway.

“The additional trees have been selected appropriate for each location and will make a positive and long-lasting impact to these areas, meeting our 3:1 commitment and being a green city.”

After planting, landscape contractor Gavin Jones will maintain the new trees for 36 months to ensure they successfully establish.

Once the initial maintenance period has ended, the responsibility for ongoing management and maintenance will transfer to the council.

Queens Gardens is being redeveloped to form a vital part of the Hull Maritime project, serving as a link between the Maritime Museum and North End Shipyard, which will be the new home of historic former trawler Arctic Corsair.