Dear Readers, any of you who are local to East Finchley might have noticed that the large London Plane trees on the High Road are currently surrounded by yellow plastic fences. Some have had the paving stones around them lifted, while others are now stranded in the middle of what looks, on the face of it, like tarmac. However, if you walk on the surface, you’ll notice that it’s slightly bouncy, a bit like the ‘stuff’ that is used in childrens’ playgrounds to stop the urchins from damaging themselves. So, what’s going on? I did some digging on Barnet Council’s website, and found some very interesting information.

The pavement areas around trees, especially large ones like the London Plane trees on the High Road, are often uneven and highly damaged, both by tree roots and by lorries and vans parking on the pavement – if you look, you’ll see that it’s often the paving stones closest to the road that are cracked. But there’s also the problem of rain water run-off – in heavy rain, a lot of the water flows into the road, and then into the overloaded water mains, which increasingly can’t cope with sudden downpours. So, the works around the trees are part of the SUDS initiative, meaning Sustainable Urban Drainage System. In some parts of the Borough, you might have noticed the development of rain gardens, or of areas of planting along the side of the road, where the plants soak up any excess water.

The material used around the trees is permeable, which means that water will pass through it and be taken up by the tree roots. It’s known as ‘Bound Rubber Crumb’, and is made from recycled car tyres. Because it’s flexible, it allows tree roots to grow and change without causing any cracking or trip hazards, Overall, it’s a good thing, especially for those of us with limited mobility/dodgy feet, or anyone pushing a pram or a wheelchair, and it’s good for the trees too – more water should be available to them instead of just running off the pavement.

The one thing I will say is that the Council haven’t communicated any of this, so I suspect there will be a fair measure of confusion and even suspicion about what’s going on. This is a bit of a shame, considering what a positive development this actually is.