Community group raises nearly £10,000 to transform West Acton area targeted by fly-tippers

An Ealing -based community group has raised nearly £10,000 for a restoration project focused on an overgrown strip of land in West Acton .

With the money raised, the group hopes to create a cherry tree walk on the central reservation in Princes Gardens - a piece of land which is frequently targeted by fly-tippers .

An open meeting on Saturday (September 2) heard that more than 50 individuals and organisations have already contributed to the group's crowdfunding campaign .

This includes £2,000 from Ealing Council via the Hanger Hill Ward Forum, the offer of 20 trees from Transport for London and help from local businesses such as 11 Cafe, who hosted the event.

On top of this, the council pledged on Tuesday August 5 the group will receive a financial boost from the borough's £250,000 Transform Your Space programme.

The amount of money which will be provided by the council's programme, which supports community projects to improve local outdoor spaces, has not yet been confirmed.

Bill Bailey, residents' association chairman, spoke about the project following the meeting with residents on Saturday September 2.

“The community has really got behind Cherry Tree Walk,” he said.

“Some people had reservations to start with but we have taken their views and suggestions into account and I think we have a clear consensus on the right way to go.

“All we need now is the funding to achieve our vision."

A working group of volunteers has been co-ordinating plans under the umbrella of the Hanger Hill Garden Estate Residents Association.

A cherry tree theme was chosen by members as many of the flowering cherries planted when the estate was created have already been lost.

By renewing the tree stock, the project is hoping to “reflect the history" of the Hanger Hill Garden Estate and “celebrate its contemporary Japanese community”.

Consultation among residents highlighted a range of other priorities, including the need to improve road safety, given a large number of local pupils, and concerns about vehicle pollution and biodiversity.

“Balancing the various priorities has been very challenging,” said John Ward, a local landscape designer on the project’s working group.

“But I think we have now arrived at an approach that retains the best of the existing vegetation, while making the area safer, more attractive and sustainable for the future.”

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