Trees, planting and sustainable drainage

Trees, planting and sustainable drainage

Trees and planting

As part of Surrey's climate strategy, the Council are working with communities across Surrey to plant 1.2 million new trees by 2030.

Urban trees have a number of benefits for an area and its residents including for air quality, the public realm, health and wellbeing, education and climate change adaption. For more information please see: Surrey's New Tree Strategy 2020 - Surrey County Council (surreycc.gov.uk).

Through this scheme, we have considered several locations across the Walton-on-Thames area that would be suitable for tree planting. This includes proposed tree planting on existing grass verges, as well as planting on new build outs in the carriageway which benefit from breaking up large areas of hard surface and also providing an attractive traffic calming feature. Where on build outs, we need to consider a number of factors including the impact on parking, road visibility and the location of overhead cables, street lighting and statutory undertakers’ cables and pipes. 

As well as tree planting, other types of planting and the formation of rain gardens are being considered, acting as sustainable drainage features in the urban environment. 

The locations of new trees proposed can be found on our area plans. These proposals would be subject to further investigation at the next stage of design work. 

How you can help

In order for young trees and other planting to thrive and have the best chance at surviving in the long term, we require the help of local volunteers to assist with watering and other maintenance. 

We are also keen to hear if residents have any other ideas for suitable locations for planting. 

If you are interested in being part of this work, or have any other ideas in the area, please email us at: localstreetimprovements@surreycc.gov.uk. 

Sustainable drainage

There are benefits of making drainage improvements in the Walton-on-Thames area. Sustainable drainage systems are considered to be a natural approach to managing surface water runoff. They reduce surface water flooding by increasing water storage capacity and also bring biodiversity benefits.

Rain gardens are an example of sustainable drainage. They are small depressions in the ground planted with materials that water can soak through and can withstand some temporary flooding. This is important as it slows surface water run off thus reducing the risk of flooding. Rain gardens can also make the public realm more attractive. 

The locations of proposed rain gardens can be found on our area plans. These proposals would be subject to further investigation at the next stage of design work.