'Tree of the year' threatened by housing scheme
A 70-year old tree that was to be the focal point of a south London housing scheme may have to be felled due to the effect the development could have on it, according to a planning report.
The Japanese pagoda was a key feature in Merton Council's controversial plans to build 93 new homes on Mitcham's Canons House heritage site, with the homes to be built to face it.
But the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) said the scheme was likely to have "significant, unavoidable impacts, both above and below ground" on the tree, which was once named as the borough's "tree of the year".
Merton Council was approached for a response, but said it could not comment on live planning applications.
The RHS report was prepared for the planning requirements designed to protect the tree. The report went on to say that the likely harm amounted to a "well-justified argument for removal and replacement of the tree".
It also noted that the amount of canopy needing to be removed "will greatly diminish the tree's local visual amenity value" and "compromise the tree's ability to photosynthesise and produce energy".
The site, in the grounds of the Grade II-listed Canons House, is undergoing major improvement works, after being awarded £4.4m in National Lottery funding.
The council housing scheme has attracted criticism due to its potential impact on the heritage site.
The group Mitcham Cricket Green Community & Heritage said the threat to the tree was the latest in a series of concerns members had about the scheme.
Chair Tony Burton said: "This puts at risk the benefits of nearly £5m, which has just been spent with support from the National Lottery on this premier heritage location.
"Whatever the pros and cons of allowing development, everyone agrees that the award-winning pagoda tree should be the focal point of any new housing."
Merton Council wants to build about 400 new homes on four separate sites in the borough, to help address a housing shortage.
The borough has one of the longest estimated timescales in England for clearing its social housing waiting list.
Listen to the best of BBC Radio London on Sounds and follow BBC London on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to hello.bbclondon@bbc.co.uk
Century-long wait for family council homes - study
The families living in modern day slums
Merton Council
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
17 hours ago
- Yahoo
Story of Navy sailor killed during World War II told by Muhlenberg man
It is difficult to imagine the terror onboard the U.S.S. Tang on Oct. 24, 1944. The submarine was in the Taiwan Strait off the coast of China that day when it was struck by a circular run of its own torpedo and sunk, costing the lives of 78 men. The nine survivors were picked up by a Japanese frigate and taken prisoner. About one-third of the crew was killed instantly by the explosive hit, author Dennis Damiani said. One of them was Homer Anthony, a 21-year-old Reading man. Anthony's diary entries for the first six months of 1943 are the subject of Damiani's recently published book, 'Homer Anthony — The Diary of a Navy Sailor.' Damiani edited and annotated the diary and wrote the introduction and epilogue of the slim volume, published by Masthoff Press, Morgantown. Dennis Damiano's book, Homer Anthony - The Diary of a Navy Sailor." (BILL UHRICH/READING EAGLE) The Muhlenberg Township author presented a pre-Memorial Day program on Anthony at the Berks History Center in Reading. 'I have to thank the Philadelphia Phillies for this book,' Damiani said, only partly joking. He and his wife, Sharon, like to watch baseball games on TV, he explained. But they found one game in the summer of 2015 difficult to watch. The Phillies were losing badly, and Damiani was bored. He opened his iPad and began searching for topics of interest. A 1973 to 1978 veteran of the Air Force whose father served in World War II, Damiani said he has long been intrigued by U.S. history, particularly military history. He landed on the homepage of a website dedicated to all those who made the ultimate sacrifice while serving in the U.S. submarine force. 'As I viewed pictures of the lost crew members, I was immediately struck by their youth,' he said. Homer Anthony, a World War II sailor who is the subject of a book by Dennis Damiani. (BILL UHRICH/READING EAGLE) Then on the pages for the Tang, he saw the photo of Fireman First Class Anthony with his name and hometown. 'Who is this guy from Reading?' Damiani said he wondered. 'I want to know more about him.' His journey to learn more took him to the Reading Public Library, where he found a 1941 Reading High School yearbook with the young man's photograph. It also took him to the history center, through more internet research and eventually to Charles Evans Cemetery in Reading, where he found the grave of Anthony's brother Socrates. 'His marker also listed his wife, Ruth, but there was no death date,' Damiani said. 'So I figured she was living.' He found a phone listing, and after several weeks overcame his hesitation to call. They spoke for a few minutes before arranging for Damiani to visit the homebound Ruth. That visit turned into many more and an enduring friendship. On one visit, Ruth smiled and held up a small black, leather-bound book. It was Anthony's diary. 'You know a lot about Homer, Dennis,' she said, 'but you don't know about this.' The opening pages of Homer Anthony's diary, the basis of Dennis Damiani's book "Homer Anthony - The Diary of a Navy Sailor. (BILL UHRICH/READING EAGLE) By reading the diary, Damiani felt he came to know Anthony. 'Homer was an intelligent young man,' he said. 'He loved to learn and read. His honesty and humor draw the reader of the diary to him in a heartwarming way.' Anthony's sense of humor and talent for writing come through on the pages of the diary, he said. Damiani said he was struck by Anthony's patriotism and commitment to doing his duty for his country. 'I believe those who read the diary will come to admire and respect Homer the way I have,' he said. The entries provide a sense of the man Anthony was, his goal of saving for college, his dream of becoming a poet and his acceptance of the fact that he might not survive the war. His poem 'Morbid Thoughts on a Rainy Day,' written Jan. 26 and 27, 1943, seems almost a premonition of his death, Damiani said. The entries also reflect an era, turning a lens on the patriotism, pop culture and racism of the period. While in Norfolk, Va., attending what he called torpedo school, Anthony witnessed extreme racism for perhaps the first time, Damiani said. 'They definitely draw the race line down here,' the serviceman wrote on Jan. 19, 1943, describing the segregation practiced in public buildings, on streetcars and elsewhere. 'To one who was born under Northern Climes, it comes as a surprise, but an interesting one, nonetheless.' In several entries, Anthony mentions high school friends, most of whom were also serving in the military. 'Reading High School in 1941, the year Homer graduated, had 807 seniors,' Damiani said. 'Of those, 430 were boys, and out of this figure, 327, or 76%, either enlisted or were drafted. 'Twelve lost their lives while serving in World War II.' Damiani said he is honored to preserve the story of one of these sometimes-forgotten heroes. 'I am convinced that Homer would have been an author of books and articles,' he said. 'His diary testifies to this.' With the publication of his diary, Anthony has become the published author he aspired to be. The book, 'Homer Anthony — Diary of a Navy Sailor' is available for sale in the Berks History Center's gift shop. For more information, email Damiani at civilman71@
Buzz Feed
a day ago
- Buzz Feed
46 People Who Were So, So Wrong
This may come as a shock to some, but Mario's Italian. Also, Chinese and Japanese are not the same thing. person forget about the American Revolution? This person forgot other countries exist. How can anyone be this dumb? no. Oof. Do people really think Jesus wrote the Bible? Pretty sure you learn dolphins are mammals in primary school. In case you didn't know, thermodynamics is a branch of physics. The '90s: famously, a time when race-related issues and discussion didn't exist. I'm no Christian, but isn't that one of the most famous parts of the Bible? I think we've failed our children. This person probably should've looked up "cisgender." Sorry to include one from lockdown times, but that time brought out the WILDEST anti-vax rhetoric. Where did this person even learn this??? This parent was really, REALLY wrong about what the slang "salty" means, and should probably get their mind out of the gutter. This parent was also wrong in so many ways. I hope the person who sat down and typed, "it's not like there's a place called Spania full of Spanish *people*" was trolling. You gotta love when someone is so swiftly and completely proven wrong. This person thought Mount Everest was in South Dakota. This person might want to open a dictionary. Along with this person. This person got a little confused about flags. This person was reallyyyyy wrong about what a hamburger was. This person thought eggs were dairy. In case you didn't know..."reed" is not the past tense of "read." Neither is "red." What school did this person go to??? Maybe leave scientific terms to scientists and doctors if you have absolutely no idea what they mean. The person who sent this article may go down in history as one of the "most wrong people ever." This person forgot about other languages. This person needs to take a geography class. Same with this person. Aaaand this person. I don't think this person has ever had a sex ed lesson in their life. Neither has this person. *Ben Wyatt voice* I don't even have time to explain how wrong you are. Actually, it's gonna bug me if I don't... These people were both wrong. The second person here really wanted to look smart, but ended up being dead wrong. ...Yeah, that's not right, bud. Oof. This person was real confused about compasses and directions. This person thought rubber trees were fake trees made of rubber. This person was also have a little trouble with math. This person thought ducks aren't birds. This person thought plants don't produce oxygen. This person made a really head-scratching statement. And finally, this person seemed to think Tesla was founded by Nikola Tesla himself.
Newsweek
a day ago
- Newsweek
Pictures Show Chinese Jet Buzzing US Ally From Aircraft Carrier
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. A patrol aircraft dispatched by Japan—a treaty ally of the United States—was intercepted by fighter jets launched from a Chinese aircraft carrier operating in the wider western Pacific. Newsweek has contacted the Chinese Defense and Foreign Ministries via email for comment. Why It Matters China, which has the world's largest navy by hull count—deployed both of its two aircraft carriers in active service beyond the First Island Chain on Saturday. The island defense line, comprising Japan, Taiwan, and the Philippines, is in place to keep China's forces in check. In April, Beijing's state media released undated footage showing a Chinese J-15 flying close to a U.S. F/A-18 carrier-based fighter over an undisclosed maritime location. Aerial intercepts—if conducted in an unsafe or unprofessional manner—can lead to midair collisions, resulting in the loss of aircraft and aircrew. In 2001, a U.S. intelligence plane and a Chinese fighter jet collided near China, killing a Chinese pilot. What To Know On Wednesday, the Japanese Defense Ministry reported an "unusual approach" by Chinese military aircraft toward the Maritime Self-Defense Force, stating that a P-3C patrol aircraft had two encounters with J-15 fighter jets—launched from the aircraft carrier CNS Shandong—over the weekend while flying in international airspace over the Pacific Ocean. A Chinese J-15 fighter jet flies alongside a Japanese P-3C patrol aircraft over the Pacific Ocean on June 8, 2025. A Chinese J-15 fighter jet flies alongside a Japanese P-3C patrol aircraft over the Pacific Ocean on June 8, 2025. Japanese Defense Ministry In the first incident, which occurred between 10:30 a.m. and 11 a.m. local time on Saturday, Chinese fighter jets were spotted flying as close as 45 meters (147 feet) from the Japanese aircraft at the same altitude, which was conducting an unspecified surveillance mission. The following day, between 2 p.m. and 3 p.m. local time, Chinese fighter jets launched from the Shandong intercepted the Japanese aircraft for a second time, passing in front of it at a much greater distance—900 meters (2,952 feet)—while maintaining the same altitude. One of the photos taken from the Japanese aircraft shows a Chinese fighter jet flying with a missile visible beneath its wing. Another photo shows a jet flying alongside the Japanese plane. The horizontal distance between them in the photos remains unknown. A Chinese J-15 fighter jet flies near a Japanese P-3C patrol aircraft over the Pacific Ocean on June 8, 2025. A Chinese J-15 fighter jet flies near a Japanese P-3C patrol aircraft over the Pacific Ocean on June 8, 2025. Japanese Defense Ministry While there was no damage to the Japanese aircraft and no injuries were reported among its crew in either incident, Tokyo's Defense Ministry expressed serious concerns, stating that the Chinese fighter jets' "abnormal" aerial maneuvers could lead to an accidental collision. According to an earlier press release from the Japanese Defense Ministry, the Shandong was tracked operating with four Chinese naval vessels in the Philippine Sea on Saturday—341 miles southeast of Japan's southwestern island of Miyako—during an eastward voyage. The press release also revealed that the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force had deployed a P-3C patrol aircraft to monitor and gather intelligence on the Chinese vessels. Two days later, the Shandong conducted flight operations involving its fighter jets and helicopters. What People Are Saying Senior Captain Wang Xuemeng, spokesperson for the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy, said in a statement on Tuesday: "This [dual aircraft carrier deployment] is a routine arrangement included in the annual training plan, aiming to improve the Chinese PLA Navy's ability to fulfill missions. The training complies with relevant international law and practice, and is not targeted at specific countries or entity." Lin Jian, spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, said at a press conference on Tuesday: "Let me reiterate that Chinese naval vessels' activities in those waters are fully consistent with international law and international practices. Our national defense policy is defensive in nature. We hope Japan will view those activities objectively and rationally." What Happens Next Such close aerial encounters between Japanese and Chinese military aircraft are likely to continue as China's two aircraft carriers operate in waters near Japan's more remote islands.
