Maria Miller MP is backing a new 10 minute rule bill being presented today, calling for a requirement to be placed on all major new developments to ensure streets are lined with trees.
Maria said; “In so many of our communities tree lined streets were always the norm, from Victorian times all the way through to the best modern developments of the present day. Trees have a positive impact on our mental and physical health, help keep our air cleaner and make our communities more attractive for everyone. As well as making tree lined streets a requirement in all new major developments we need to ensure the right trees are chosen too. I would like to see Basingstoke Council work with organisations such as the Woodland Trust and the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust to ensure developers always choose trees for new developments that are appropriate to our local environment, wildlife and soil type.
“Basingstoke is one of the greenest Boroughs in the UK when it comes to the number of trees we have but it is essential that we protect that environmental asset for the future by requiring all new major developments to have tree lined streets, good for our mental and physical health.”
The Bill being introduced by MP Chris Clarkson would build on the Government’s current plans to plant over 50 million trees over the next 25 years, to help improve the UK’s natural environment and respond to climate change.