A NEW development of houses on the former site of the offices of Craven District Council in Skipton will be graced with a flourishing Mountain Ash tree in the years to come - thanks to residents and the town’s civic society.

Hayton Way, off Granville Street, includes a planter which acts as a small public green space for the residents.

But, at the beginning of the year, it was looking sad and neglected. The sapling planted by the developers of the estate had given up and died, and the space taken over by weeds.

What began as a simple project to clear the unwelcome invaders, gradually developed into a community project. Several of the residents put forward suggestions for a replacement tree, how the bed could be replanted and, crucially, volunteered to help maintain it in the planter in the future.

Although only small, it is an important green space , seen by not only the residents but all those who use Hayton Way as a route between the Gargrave Road and and Broughton Road areas of the town.

Skipton Civic Society then came on board, and agreed to fund a new tree and to assist in its rehabilitation.

As part of the project, a consultation flyer was delivered to all the houses and flats on Hayton Way canvassing the views of residents. The resulting feedback was then considered by the volunteer residents and they decided that a Rowan - or Mountain Ash would be the best choice.

The civic society is fortunate in having on its team Alan Simson, Professor of Landscape Architecture and Urban Forestry, who advised on which cultivar - or cultivated plant - would be best for Hayton Way.

He explained many native species are not genetically programmed to thrive in urban areas – mainly because of the volume of ‘rootable area’ and reflected heat.

Root growth can also be affected by the temperature of adjacent dark surfaces with the temperature of the soil under tarmac being as much as 15 degrees higher that the air temperature above.

As it was important for the new tree to grow to maturity so as to maximise the benefits, a cultivar best suited to its new home - a Sorbus Sheerwater Seedling (Mountain Ash) was chosen.

The original tree was so rotten it was simply pushed down before being replaced and the planter will include flowers and herbs.