We have provided land for planting a mix of fruit and oak trees working alongside local groups ‘Trees for Totnes’, ‘Bridgetown Alive’ and ‘Incredible Edible’.
During the past months of lockdown, many people have taken to engaging with nature but for those without access to green spaces, communal garden areas and shared green spaces have been a blessing.
Wendy Stayte from Trees for Totnes said: “It is great to see local residents take part in a volunteer tree-planting days co-organised between Incredible Edible, Trees for Totnes and LiveWest. We hope, now that there is greater awareness of the need for more trees in our changing climate, that some residents will continue to care for the trees near where they live’.”
Incredible Edible has been planting fruit and nut trees throughout Totnes since 2007 and currently runs 3 public sites where veg and herbs are grown for anyone to share.
LiveWest’s tree stock has risen from 28,000 in 2018 to over 36,000, supporting its environmental strategy to enhance its green spaces and improve its environmental footprint.
Charlotte Holdsworth, Community Connector at LiveWest said “It’s an exciting moment, it was always clear that strong community support would see us through. With trees going in, it’s truly the start of something.
“The green areas are really important to residents, allowing them to socialise outside and enjoy the fresh air.
“Our customers’ wellbeing is important to us. Planting trees is an opportunity for our volunteers to support them as part of our Neighbourhoods in Focus project.”
LiveWest Estate Services Technical Manager Rob Scholefield, who manages the tree stock said: “Trees and green space provide many benefits – cooling estates in summer, encouraging wildlife into urban areas, and providing space for recreation and education opportunities.
“Research has also shown that social housing residents with higher tree cover near their homes reported higher mental wellbeing scores than residents with negligible green space nearby.”
With 136 different species of trees across its geography, figures revealed that the replacement value of LiveWest’s tree stock is now £20 million and the value of the amenity they provide is over £220 million.
Research also found that the trees removed 5.6 tonnes of airborne pollution and 274 tonnes of carbon from the air each year.
Elsewhere it was discovered that LiveWest’s trees absorb over half of the carbon emitted from its 370 repairs’ vans.
The project valued the 7,600 tonnes of carbon stored by our trees at £1.9 million.
LiveWest’s trees also prevent nearly 10,000 cubic metres of storm water going down the drain – an annual benefit valued at £28,000.
LiveWest plans to build more than 7,000 new homes over the next five years and will invest £2billion into the region over the next 10 years.
The protection and improvement of green spaces across its geography is part of its drive to build thriving communities.
Managing over 38, 000 homes across the region LiveWest is one of the first housing associations in the country to have launched an environmental blueprint with measurable targets.
Central to its energy efficiency drive, LiveWest is targeting that all of its existing homes reach an Energy Performance Certificates (EPC) rating of band C and above by 2028 – two years ahead of the proposed government target of 2030.
The increased EPC rating will reduce carbon emissions and support the government’s ambition for the nation to become carbon neutral by 2050. This runs alongside LiveWest’s core ambition to provide homes, support its customers and address fuel poverty.