tropica

macroban Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > The Southwark Council (magenta background) > leaflet/voting form for the public consultation > that ended on 22 June 2007 had mock-up photos of > the four proposals. Proposal 1. was a "Feature > Tree". The photo shows a broad-leafed deciduous > tree with regular trunk and branches. I don't know > enough about trees to identify the species. > > Anyone who voted for the "winning" Proposal 1. > didn't get what they voted for. > > I would estimate that the all in cost of buying a > semi-mature deciduous sapling, digging the hole, > transporting the sapling, planting it, and any > charge for project management would be of the > order of ?2000 or less. > > Does anyone want to make a FoI request for the > actual cost? Just in case anyone doesn't know, the original suggestion for a tree in the middle of the roundabout (July 2006 proposal for a Community Grant, Dulwich Community meeting) was for a palm tree, exactly like the one we've finally got. I and a number of others were really annoyed when the consultation document came out (I'm sure it wasn't a picture of a deciduous tree - it looked more like a house plant). In an earlier post (RE:Roundabout at Goose Green,24/05/2007 - sorry I don't know how to do the link) I suggested that anyone who wanted to vote, wrote Palm tree (or Monkey Puzzle) next to the word tree. I think quite a few people did. There were a lot of worries that a 'normal' tree would obscure the view for buses - I'm not sure that was justified- but it was discussed. The current brown tips will be because the ends of the leaves were cut for ease of transport - once the tree has settled in, new leaves won't have that problem. Yes, a deciduous tree would be cheaper in the short term, but not over time - palm trees need very little maintenance, whereas deciduous trees cause a headache to the street cleaners in the autumn, and regular pruning to keep the neat shape you'd need for a specimen tree in the middle of the roundabout. The justification for a palm tree was that a large percentage of the housing in this area is Victorian, and a visit to the Horniman museum will soon show how popular the introduction of this tree would have been at the time the housing was being constructed. Sorry that not everyone likes it, but it would be a very boring world if we were all the same. I'm just glad the Council didn't get the chance to choose a statue.....

MelbourneGr Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Not sure which project they're working on, nor the > contractor they work for. It was raining today so > they were sat inside. For once the rain did us a > favour. Perhaps the Morrisson's vans that are always parked on the other side of the road at the same time as they are sitting outside the cafe are related. If anyone gets any trouble from contractor's staff the easy option is to send an email of complaint to the contractor - you should find the address on the internet. Surprising as it might seem contractors do take notice of any complaints relating to harassment of the general public, particularly when a large percentage of their business comes from councils/public bodies/utilities. Also, it isn't illegal for workmen to wolf whistle, but doing so can be a valid reason for dismissal.

The grant is for ?8,000 in total, but that includes any other works needed e.g. lighting of the centrepiece etc, which won't come cheap - so expect to get something pretty cheap and nasty if you vote for the Art option. Alternatively, tick the yes box for a tree, write Palm tree or monkey puzzle in big letters next to it and they might get the message. For ?1,000 you'd get a really good specimen and then they can spend the other ?7K on cranes, traffic works, safety lighting (it'll have to be installed at night to avoid the traffic) etc etc