Urban Greening 

Status: Ongoing

Partners: Medway Council, MHS Homes and Barcham Trees

Project Costs: £30,000+

Chatham’s urban areas face heavy traffic, excessive tarmac, poor air quality, and a lack of accessible green spaces. To help address this and to bring nature to the doorstep, we began ‘greening the grey’.

We have funded, planted, and continue to maintain a network of over sixty street trees and counting. Each tree is strategically placed in challenging yet meaningful locations by targeting those with high pollution levels, routes to schools, and residential areas.

What started as planting in green verges owned by a social landlord has now expanded to include casualty reduction schemes with the local authority, green walls, and moveable forests in primary schools.

A key challenge in urban tree planting has been the difficulty of identifying underground utilities, which are often found in unexpected locations, making landowners hesitant to allow planting. To address this, we invested in a CAT4 scanner and trained our staff, allowing us to safely locate and avoid buried utilities.

Through continuous engagement with residents and local authorities, we are transforming hard, unwelcoming streets into greener, healthier spaces, improving air quality, connecting people with nature, and enhancing well-being for generations to come.

Despite notable challenges, we have experienced very little vandalism. In some London boroughs, 30% of street trees die within the first few years of planting, whereas our trees have thrived, reflecting the community’s appreciation and care for these new green spaces.