London Chest Hospital
Overview
Probably the most documented mulberry tree in England, is on this site. We had to overcome 16,000, celebrity endorsed, objectors; and gravity which was trying to have its way with the mulberry. With decades of repeated disturbance, the blitz, and development interest impacting the site, we needed to find the best approach to support the veteran mulberry tree, and to make sure it has a long future ahead of it. And we did it.
We had to come up with some really unique ideas to save the mulberry tree, like custom built props. We’ve also been feeding and watering this tree for years. Even installed aerial root bags and we’ve taken cuttings from it which have successfully grown to be new trees of their own.
We saved that tree. And got all the key interest groups on board with our proposals for it. We created a bespoke solution for how to demolish the site, and a bespoke solution on how to shelter the tree as part of an art installation.
And that’s in addition to retaining all the other protected Victorian plants on the site.
This is the culmination of 7 years of work.
Context
We were appointed by Latimer of Clarion Housing Group to advise on all arboricultural matters linked to their proposal and to care for the veteran mulberry tree.
The Mulberry Tree has been afforded special consideration per its status as an irreplaceable habitat, including stakeholder engagement regarding its care and future.
The Mulberry Tree will be integrated in situ, having been in receipt of works that have improved the tree’s outlook and condition over a number of years. Its transition to a residential setting through the demolition and construction phases of the proposal have been considered in full, and its genetic continuity on the site has been safeguarded by way of a successful cutting’s programme. Recommendations for the ongoing care of the Mulberry Tree over the next decade are recommended to be secured by condition
Enhanced public access to the Mulberry Tree and visual amenity contribution of the mature tree asset in general are considered key development-enabled public benefits. The preservation, and future of, the Mulberry Tree are intimately linked to the Latimer interest which should be considered exemplary.
Highlights
We had to do some really unique stuff to save the mulberry tree, like custom built props. We’ve been feeding and watering this tree for years. Even installed aerial root bags and we’ve got cuttings from it which have successfully grown to be new trees of their own. We saved that tree. And got all the key interest groups on board with our proposals for it. We've got a bespoke solution for how to demolish the site, and a bespoke solution on how to shelter the tree as part of an art installation.
Challenges - Past, Present & Future
- The foremost arboricultural constraint on the site is the veteran Mulberry Tree, which is by definition irreplaceable and well documented by others; it has also been continuously studied and monitored by Aspect Arboriculture since April 2018. There is however no public access to the tree and views from the public realm are blocked by the presence of mature trees, site hoarding and the mass and distribution of the built form, particularly the Institute Building to the tree’s west.
- The previous planning application put in for the site was approved, then objected by the public, and then the high court retracted the approval due to the removal of the veteran mulberry tree being illegal. We had to be sensitive around the mulberry tree and come up with bespoke and creative solutions to make sure as much of the arboricultural heritage of the site is kept intact. We took all the objections from residents, celebrities and societies on board and considered this in our planning to make sure a solution everyone would be happy with was formed.
- This whole project wasn't a quick fix, its a long term effort that continues into the future. We will need to keep an eye on the progress of the Mulberry Tree and how the props are holding up, and whether any future interventions are needed.
Outcomes
Under Latimer’s tenure, the Mulberry Tree has been the subject of ongoing monitoring and care undertaken in conjunction with stakeholder engagement, especially involving parties linked to the 2017/2018 campaign to retain it. This response is ongoing, and includes the regular removal of competing herbaceous vegetation; regular watering throughout the growing season and during extreme heat; the gradual use of a nutrient drench; the gradual application of mulch; the installation of an aerial root bag; humane pest deterrent measures and CCTV cameras.
The catastrophic collapse of all three functional units has been prevented by the installation of three bespoke steel props manufactured to fit the Mulberry Tree precisely10. The steel props superseded the single failing timber prop on the Mulberry Tree’s southern functional unit, which had decayed and snapped below ground level enabling the tree to twist towards the adjacent Institute building to its west. PiCUS Tree Motion sensors have been attached to the Mulberry Tree in conjunction with lean measurements taken during scheduled maintenance visits and after inclement weather. This enables wind reaction measurements to be collected in real time over a three year forecast, and the props have been designed so that additional outriggers can be applied, should any elevated movement be detected.
The Mulberry Tree has no natural progeny on the site. With the expertise of specialist plant nurseries, three cuttings taken from the Mulberry Tree have successfully been grafted to White Mulberry Morus alba root stock. From these a further five cuttings have been struck directly and propagated. This is in addition to a single cutting struck in 2017, which also survives as a clone, bringing the number of new Black Mulberry plants with the same genetic make-up as the Mulberry Tree to six clones (plus the three grafts).
It is intended that at least one Black Mulberry clone is retained at a nursery for the purpose of providing new cuttings as a secondary level of insurance, and potentially, to make the cuttings accessible to other planting locations within Tower Hamlets - opportunities which are yet to be fully explored.
"The team at Aspect offer a first-class service, personable, professional and with a strong accent on finding positive solutions alongside detailed advice on all Arboriculture matters."
