• Make a contribution
  • Get the Print Edition
  • Sign up for our daily newsletter
Sunday, July 27, 2025
  • Login
Reading Today Online
  • HOME
  • YOUR AREA
    • All
    • Caversham
    • Central Reading
    • East Reading
    • Katesgrove
    • Reading
    • Southcote & Coley
    • Tilehurst & Norcot
    • Whitley

    PCC allocates nearly £2M in Home Office funding to counter serious violence in Thames Valley

    The Barberettes Shine at International Choir Competition in Europe

    Reading Rep announces team behind next production, The Last Five Years

    Reading Biscuit Factory set to celebrate fourth birthday

    Orthodox Bishop of Great Britain attends Reading church for major celebration

    PRIDE OF READING AWARDS: PACT is a ‘genuinely welcoming, nurturing environment’

    PRIDE OF READING AWARDS: PACT is a ‘genuinely welcoming, nurturing environment’

    PRIDE OF READING AWARDS: Meet the sponsors – Cherubs Floral Design

    PRIDE OF READING AWARDS: Meet the sponsors – Cherubs Floral Design

    Enjoy a spectacular afternoon tea of indulgent chocolate and sparkles

    Reading footbridge to close for footbridge in central Reading

  • COMMUNITY
  • READING FC
  • SPORT
    • All
    • Basketball
    • Football
    • Rugby

    Reading FC confirm new signing as midfielder joins on permanent deal

    Former Reading FC loanee joins rivals

    Reading FC sign German attacker on permanent deal

    Reading and Chelsea legend Kerry Dixon set for Q&A at Purple Turtle

    Ex-Reading star Ejaria on trial with former Royals manager

    League One side set to win race for former Reading FC young star

    Reading FC opinion: Where are the goals coming from this season?

    Reading FC midfielder Knibbs linked with Championship move

    Reading FC forward Ehibhatiomhan features in friendly despite unresolved future

  • ENTERTAINMENT
    • ARTS
    • READING FESTIVAL
    • READING PRIDE
    • WOKINGHAM FESTIVAL
  • PRIDE OF READING
  • OBITUARIES
  • JOBS
  • ADVERTISE
  • CONTACT US
No Result
View All Result
Reading Today Online
No Result
View All Result
Home Opinion

FROM THE LEADER: Increasing Reading’s tree canopy

Guest Contributor by Guest Contributor
Thursday, September 14, 2023 7:31 am
in Opinion
A A
Trees can be planted across Reading Picture: Thorsten Frenzel from Pixabay

Trees can be planted across Reading Picture: Thorsten Frenzel from Pixabay

Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

By Cllr Jason Brock

In dense, urban towns or cities like Reading, green spaces seem even more important.

I’m really proud of the amount of green space residents are able to enjoy in our town. We boast some superb award-winning gardens – at Caversham Court and the Forbury – while Christchurch Meadows and Prospect Park, for example, remain as popular as ever, particularly with the Council’s major recent investments in new flagship playgrounds and other new facilities.

It may surprise you, but Reading Borough contains more than 50 parks and open spaces. Our largely urban environment doesn’t mean we aren’t blessed with plenty of green space to play, walk and relax in.

And our commitment to the natural environment doesn’t end there, with our Tree Strategy (set in 2021) seeing us work towards planting 3,000 trees on Council land by 2030.

The Tree Strategy sits snugly alongside the Council’s Climate Emergency Strategy and plays a key role in responding to the climate crisis. Our aim is to reach an overall canopy cover up to at least 25% across the borough, and at least 12% in each ward. It’s an ambitious target.

Related posts

47-year-old woman arrested after two pedestrians die in road traffic collision in Caversham

Boy, 15, left with broken jaw after being attacked by three teenagers in Reading

Police release CCTV of man in relation to assault in Reading

Man and woman jailed for GBH, fraud and robbery in Reading, including assault on a man in his 80s

Between November 2022 and March of this year, 387 trees were planted as we work towards that. The impressive planting rate achieved so far has been greatly aided by the collaborative contributions of two of our esteemed partners – Ethical Reading and the Reading Tree Wardens.

Through its Trees for Reading initiative, Ethical Reading enables businesses to fund the planting and care of trees in the parts of town where they are most needed.

Meanwhile, Reading Tree Wardens have a warden in every ward across Reading. They provide valuable support to the Council in looking after the borough’s trees to ensure they are surviving and flourishing.

We often receive requests from residents wanting trees planted near to where they live, and I’m delighted to say we are now able to offer our residents the exciting opportunity of greening up their own street – or, indeed, any street of your choice – by sponsoring the planting of a tree.

We’ve teamed up with charitable enterprise Trees for Streets to work with residents either individually or in a group, so anyone can apply to have a tree planted on their behalf as close as possible to their chosen location. The cost is £395 (or £295 if you commit to watering the tree).

Visit www.treesforstreets.org/Reading to request a location for a new tree, answer a few simple questions, and submit your sponsorship details.

We will then survey the location to check for suitability. If suitable, what is known as an ‘instant impact’ tree, normally five to seven years old and three or four metres high, will be planted during the November to April planting season.

With so many of our residents interested in looking after our natural environment and looking for ways they can make a difference, it seems like a great opportunity.

Cllr Jason Brock is the leader of Reading Borough Council and ward member for Southcote

Keep up to date by signing up for our daily newsletter

We don’t spam we only send our newsletter to people who have requested it.

Check your inbox or spam folder to confirm your subscription.

Tags: Jason Brockrdgrdg newsrdgukRdguk borough newsreadingreading berkshirereading borough councilreading news
Previous Post

Reading’s parking permits to go digital after successful trial

Next Post

Blind Berkshire blogger set to undertake mammoth march in aid of Berkshire Vision

FOLLOW US

POPULAR STORIES

  • Former Reading FC striker Andy Carroll joins new club in England after leaving France

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • 47-year-old woman arrested after two pedestrians die in road traffic collision in Caversham

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Masked men armed with weapons rob store in Reading

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • League One side set to win race for former Reading FC young star

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Reading FC forward given ultimatum over future at the club

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0

RDG.Today – which is a Social Enterprise – provides Reading Borough with free, independent news coverage.

If you are able, please support our work

Click Here to Support RDG.Today

ABOUT US

Reading Today is dedicated to providing news online across the whole of the Borough of Reading. It is a Social Enterprise, existing to support the various communities in Reading Borough.

CONTACT US

news@wokinghampaper.co.uk

Reading Today Logo

Keep up to date with our daily newsletter

We don’t spam we only send our newsletter to people that have subscribed

Check your inbox or spam folder to confirm your subscription.

The Wokingham Paper Ltd publications are regulated by IPSO – the Independent Press Standards Organisation.
If you have a complaint about a  The Wokingham Paper Ltd  publication in print or online, you should, in the first instance, contact the publication concerned, email: editor@wokingham.today, or telephone: 0118 327 2662. If it is not resolved to your satisfaction, you should contact IPSO by telephone: 0300 123 2220, or visit its website: www.ipso.co.uk. Members of the public are welcome to contact IPSO at any time if they are not sure how to proceed, or need advice on how to frame a complaint.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
No Result
View All Result
  • HOME
  • MY AREA
    • Central Reading
    • East Reading
    • Bracknell
    • Calcot
    • Caversham
    • Crowthorne
    • Earley
  • COMMUNITY
  • SPORT
    • Reading FC
    • Football
    • Rugby
    • Basketball
  • ENTERTAINMENT
    • ARTS
    • READING FESTIVAL
    • READING PRIDE
    • WOKINGHAM FESTIVAL
  • PRIDE OF READING
  • OBITUARIES
  • JOBS
  • ADVERTISE
  • CONTACT US
  • SUPPORT US
  • SIGN UP FOR OUR NEWSLETTER
  • WHERE TO GET THE PRINT EDITION

© 2021 - The Wokingham Paper Ltd - All Right Reserved.