Deal’s Hedge Pledge takes root!

Published: 22 May 2024

Deal Town Council’s Hedge Pledge project is now well underway with more than 330m of hedgerow taking root.

The living boundaries have now been planted at two allotment sites in town and are made up of native species including hawthorn, blackthorn, hazel, crab apple, elder, dog rose and holly.

Hedgerows are effective at storing significant amounts of carbon and provide benefits for wildlife. The project has been funded by Deal Town Council and Kent County Council’s Historic Treescapes Grant scheme.

Planting has taken place at Golf Road and Mill Road allotments and future planting is being explored at Park Avenue.

Mayor of Deal, Cllr Oliver Richardson said: “Our allotments are already havens for a great mix of wildlife and these new hedges will add to that bounty.

“Not only will they provide protection from the elements for our allotment holders, once established they’ll be both home and larder for nature.

“Planting hedges is a simple and attractive way to do your bit for climate change and support biodiversity locally, so get digging!”

The Hedge Pledge has been shaped by Deal Town Council’s climate and ecological emergency declarations and sits within our Carbon Reduction Strategy and Town Plan commitments.

KCC’s Cabinet Member for Environment, Robert Thomas said: “We are committed to working with organisations to support them with projects that deliver the greatest possible outcomes for wildlife in the county.

“The Hedge Pledge project is a simple but effective way to support local biodiversity and I’d encourage residents of Deal to get involved.”

Learn more about Deal Town Council’s climate action here at www.deal.gov.uk/climate and KCC Historic Treescapes Grant by clicking here.
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Notes to editors

Historic Treescapes Grant Details: Across England there are areas with good populations of ancient veteran trees but poor recruitment of younger trees, which, over time will reduce the trees outside of woodlands cover and we will lose the connectivity trees supply across a landscape. Similarly, there are areas that have already lost their historic populations of trees outside of woodlands. There is a need to reinstate these historic populations of trees and target planting for ecological connectivity.

KCC has used historic OS maps vs current satellite imagery to identify ‘lost trees’, working with the historic environment team and Ancient Tree Inventory (ATI). KCC has chosen the Dover district area as a focus for this grant scheme, which provides up to 100% funding for tree planting projects to restore trees that have been lost since the 1890 Ordnance Survey. With this grant we want to improve the natural beauty, habitat connectivity, and resilience of our countryside.

The Historic Treescapes Grant is part of the Trees Outside Woodland programme, which is developing innovative and sustainable new ways to increase tree cover to address both the climate and ecological emergencies. The programme is funded by HM Government and delivered in partnership with The Tree Council, Natural England, the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs, along with five local authorities.