Blackburn with Darwen Council has been given a £20,093.50 grant to plant dozens of trees and saplings in one of its deprived urban areas. They will be planted in three locations in Blackburn’s Audley Children’s Centre, Audley Community Centre and Queens Park.
A report by the strategic director of growth Martin Kelly tells councillors says the council was approached by the charity, Trees for Cities (TfC), to say they had an allocation of funding for the area and asked the council to send a proposal.
The report said: “The sites and planting proposed were; Queens Park: 10 heavy standards (larger trees, usually over three meters tall), Audley Children’s Centre: 20 heavy standards and 100 whips (one to two year old trees); and Audley Community Centre: nine heavy standards.The proposal was successful and TfC offered £9,037 to cover the cost of tree purchase, stakes and planting costs and £3,685.50 per year for three years to cover 50 per cent of maintenance costs. Maintenance requirements will be met by the green spaces team.”
The report said the scheme will help contribute towards two council objectives, the Tree and Woodland Strategy and the Climate Emergency Action Plan. There are some conditions to the funding, including an 85% survival rate of the trees.
The report said:“A minimum survival rate of 85 per cent is a condition of the funding award. The trees will be planted in the 2024/25 planting season, with support from the local community.
“Risks to the scheme are costs being higher than anticipated, lack of interest from the community in the scheme, and lower than acceptable tree survival rates. The funding award should cover full costs without the need for any contribution from the council.
“Should a top up be required, this can be met within reason from the climate emergency fund which has an allocation for tree projects. Vandalism is possible and if it leads to a survival rate of less than 85 per cent then the council will be required to replace the failed trees.
“This is potentially a future cost to the council, but is outweighed by the value of the funding award.”
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