Bideford Regeneration Board’s Masterplan makes much of the town’s built heritage as well as our maritime history. But there is another aspect to our urban heritage which perhaps receives less attention: our arboreal heritage. From the ‘wonky conker’ on the Quay to the Monterrey pines at Chudleigh Fort, our town is rich in trees which different generations have planted to enhance the environment, or to commemorate signficant events. 

In 1944, an oak tree was planted in Victoria Park to celebrate the good relations with the US Army personnel who had been stationed in the town during World War II. In 1950, the Chamber of Trade gifted two avenues of trees there (Norwegian and silver maples) to commemorate the dead of two world wars, and a weeping willow was planted when The Burton opened in 1951. 

Now Torridge District Council has voted for a new generation of trees to be planted in public spaces across the district, subject to consultation with residents. In Bideford, Victoria Park, Oaklands and Abbotsham Road have been identified as suitable locations as well as sites in East-the-Water including Ayers Close and Pollyfield. The proposal forms part of Torridge’s legally-binding ‘biodiversity duty’ – trees are important in combatting climate change, in providing habitats for birds, mammals and insects, for shade in summer and for air quality. 

But, more than that, trees are a source of pleasure to those of us who live in urban environments. We can admire the freshness of their new leaves in spring and watch their colours change as winter approaches. We enjoy the scent of flowers and foliage, and listen to the songs of robins and blackbirds, the cawing of crows and the cooing of pigeons. They are good for our mental health – an investment for the future to give pleasure for generations to come. 

Some members questioned the cost of the scheme, in a context where local authorities like our own are being given less and less money to spend. But each generation must plant for the future, to enhance new sites and to replace trees that will soon reach the end of their lives. Just as we appreciate those planted by our parents and grandparents, it is incumbent upon us to do so for future generations. 

As local government reorganisation approaches and Torridge District Council reaches the end of its life, a programme of tree planting will make a worthy legacy.