Greening of Wanstead continues

One of the striking things when walking up so many paths for the recent elections was the fantastic gardens in the area There are some really imaginative front gardens, some with raised beds, others nice balances of the practical and beautiful.The gardens are a real example of what can be done in a small space, with a bit of ingenuity. There has been growing concern over recent years of increasing numbers of front gardens being concreted over. When this tendency is taken in the round, as a number of boroughs have done with comprehensive surveys, it amounts to a huge amount of land. The London Firebrigade creat4d a front garden for the Chelsea Flower Show demonstrating what can be done, as well as the flood risk from concreting over. This land is being lost to biodiversity and creates an increasing flood risk. However, as mentioned, there are plenty of imaginative offerings going in the other direction. More street trees are another plus. Some have been replaced, when required plus other new ones in parts of the borough. The burgeoning number of tree pits being tended, with wild flowers also make a great contribution to the insect population and biodiversity. Trees and planted tree pits make a big difference to the look of a road. Woodcote Road in Wanstead is one that comes to mind if people want to see just what a difference these aspects can make to the look of a road. The work of the community gardeners and Wild Wanstead contributes tremendously to the biodiversity of the area. The beds around George Green and Wanstead station are fantastic, particularly those in the middle of the road around Harrier Way. The council bulb giveaway has helped improve biodiversity such as on Nightingale Green. Also, the ongoing roll out of growzones across the borough. More always needs to be done ofcourse. It would be good if a joint effort from the council, TFL and the community could help accelerate the greening of the stretch between the Green Man and Redbridge Roundabouts. More, trees, shrubs and flowering areas would help counter carbon dioxide and pollution, as well as improving the look of the area. The new planters and baskets that have so brightened up the high street over recent months need sponsorship from local business and groups if they are to continue. Edible gardens are becoming more commonplace across the country. A place where members of the community tend a vegetable patch. The resulting crops can then be distributed to those who need and want it. Snaresbrook school has some excellent edible gardens in operation. Community composting is something in its infancy but hopefully will take off in Wanstead. We have a very rich, biodiverse area but there is so much more that can be done to improve things in this direction. Let's push on with that work.