A $30 million tree planting and landscaping program has been launched by Social Housing in New South Wales.
The Green Street program has been designed to improve quality of life for thousands of tenants across the state.
NSW Housing Minister David Borger says there has been a need to green up social housing estates, especially those inland where the summer heat often makes local streets unbearable.
"There is also increasing recognition that green space can have a major positive impact on people’s quality of life in social housing and enhance wider community relations," he says.
"Studies have shown that canopies of trees can cool street temperatures by as much as 8 degrees and that’s obviously going to be a big positive for our tenants."
Depending on size and species of trees planted, it is estimated the entire program could eventually help cut carbon dioxide levels by over 7,000 tonnes a year.
Over 15,000 trees will be planted and thousands of shrubs in social housing estates around New South Wales over the next two to three years. Most of the plants will be mature and will be planted on main streets and gateway sites.
"A big part of the program involves giving plants to adjoining public housing tenants for their front gardens, upgrading neighbourhood parks, landscaping common open space and adding more community gardens to the 62 already developed under existing Housing NSW programs," Borger says.
The program will be planned and rolled out by Housing NSW in consultation with a panel of landscape architects, local councils, residents and with the support of not-for-profit organisations like Boystown.
Residents will also have the opportunity to gain formal landscaping accreditation.
Add a comment