Trees and the Public Realm - Westminster City Council

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Trees and the Public Realm (Draft)
4. WESTMINSTER’S TOWNSCAPE
22. Local distinctiveness and identity has a significant bearing on the suitability of trees.
Notwithstanding their significant benefits in cities, trees as a natural element do not
always sit easily in a complex urban environment, and require thought and
consideration if they are to complement the buildings and survive the harshness of their
situation.
23. This section provides an overview of Westminster’s varying townscape and sets out
how local distinctiveness and identity should be considered when taking planting,
succession or maintenance decisions 3 .
Varying character
24. The unique character of many areas in Westminster is closely related to the amount,
type, distribution and layout of the greenery they contain, and its historic and visual
relationship with the built environment. For instance, Westminster has some of the
earliest Arcadian suburbs within which tree cover is generally encouraged. At the other
end of the scale, Westminster also contains some of the earliest and tightest street
patterns where trees may not be as appropriate.
25. 55 areas in the City of Westminster have been designated as conservation areas,
covering over 75% of the city’s land. These are of very varied age and character,
ranging from the historic core of the city around Westminster Abbey and Whitehall, to
the oldest surviving residential and commercial properties in Soho; from the expensive
residential developments of the eighteenth and nineteenth century in Mayfair and
Belgravia, to more modest residential areas such as the Queen's Park Estate of late
nineteenth and twentieth century buildings.
26. Conservation areas are defined in the Planning Act 1990 as ‘areas of special
architectural and historic interest, the character and appearance of which it is desirable
to preserve and enhance'. Although conservation areas often include a number of listed
buildings, the majority of buildings within them will not be listed. It is the character of the
area, rather than individual buildings that the Act seeks to preserve or enhance. Part of
that character may well be derived from the area’s original masterplan intention, which
in some areas means the provision of garden squares to complement the surrounding
hard urban townscape. Trees planted on these streets (rather than within the squares)
must ensure that they do not materially detract from the character of the conservation
area.
3 It is not within the scope of this guidance to prescribe the long term planting regime for every street in
Westminster. Whilst this will help to ensure understanding of the correct principles at the start of the
design process, street-specific understanding will be required to ensure the best design solution.