Invasive species (FOI-5125)
Message from Hackney Council
Dear ***** *****
Re: Freedom of Information Request.
Thank you for your request for information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000, received 29 December 2019. Your request has been considered and our response is in bold below.
The Council’s Response
1. Which invasive species are present, and if possible, the abundance of each, by number of individuals or area covered, whichever is more appropriate.
Hackney Council Housing Sites:
- Japanese Knotweed (present); and
- Himalayan Balsam (eradicated to our knowledge)
Please see below Japanese Knotweed locations on Hackney Council Housing sites. It shows the locations on maps generated from earthlight. The properties we know of are - Street Properties (red circle on map)
- 17 Aldeburgh Close
- 60 Belgrade Road
- 157 Evering Road
- 19 Shacklewell Road
We are aware of several properties on Moreton Close that have reports of Japanese Knotweed coming from the railway. So, we have highlighted them with a red circle and the railway line as a purple zig-zag as not a piece of land that Hackney Council manage.
Samuel Lewis Estate, managed as a trust also has Japanese Knotweed in two locations, again this is not managed by Hackney Council, so these are marked as a green circle.
Hackney Council Parks and Green Spaces:
- Japanese Knotweed (present)
- Giant Hogweed (present)
- Hogweed (present)
- Hemlock (eradicated to our knowledge)
Please see below Japanese Knotweed locations in Hackney Council Parks and Green Spaces sites:
- Woodberry Downs New River Path (N4 2ND)
- Springhill Sport Ground (E5 9BL)
- Springfield Park (E5 9EF)
Please see below Giant Hogweed / Hogweed locations in Hackney Council Parks and Green Spaces sites:
- Hackney Marshes - (E9 9PF)
- Mabley Green (E9 5RN)
Please see below Hemlock locations in Hackney Council Parks and Green Spaces sites:
- Daubeney Fields ( E9 5PP)
2. The date they were first recorded as present, and the date they were eradicated (if this has occurred).
Hackney Council Housing Sites - All Japanese Knotweed Sites were brought to our attention between 2016 and 2019. As well as the one confirmed location of Himalayan Balsam on Acton Estate, Scriven Street E8.
Hackney Council Parks and Green Spaces Sites- Giant Hogweed / Hogweed has been present within Hackney"s Parks and Green spaces for approx 12 years or more. The one area where Hemlock was located was in 2016.
3. The location of each invasive species within the borough
Hackney Council Housing Sites - Please refer to the maps and table attached and key information provided earlier in Q1.
Hackney Council Parks and Green Spaces - Please refer to the postcodes in Q1.
4. Any invasive species that is predicted to arrive in the borough within the next three decades that the council has made preparations against.
We do not hold an official predicted list, however there is a high probability that Oak Processionary Moth and Canker Stain of Plane will affect our mature tree stock within the near future.
5. The method, and cost, of eradication where this has occurred.
Hackney Council Housing Sites:
The cost is minimal to date as works have been carried out by our in house team in most cases. We did commission a Japanese Knot Weed specialist company in 2017 to treat a property in Morton Close E5 at a cost of £3,000.00.
We also anticipate that the amount of Japanese Knotweed that is within our street property portfolio is much greater than first considered. For this reason a business case has been produced for an officer and manager to manage the surveying and treatment of these as well as surveying and managing the tree stoke in these properties.
As this is a split function, the anticipated annual cost would be £35,000.00 in salary and materials. The method of treatment is by using Glyphosate.
The method of treatment for the Himalayan Balsam was hand weeding, as this is an annual weed, which was at a juvenile stage and was a very small amount.
Hackney Council Parks and Green Spaces Sites:
Eradication works within Hackney"s Parks and Green Spaces sites has been / is undertaken out by in-house Parks and Green Spaces staff, as part of normal duties. Some eradication works has also been undertaken by the Environment Agency (at zero cost to the Council).
Appeals & Complaints Procedure
If you are dissatisfied with this response and wish to appeal, please write to the Information Management Team and this will be dealt with through our Internal Review procedure.
Information Management Team - Governance
London Borough of Hackney
Hackney Service Centre
1 Hillman Street
London E8 1DY
Your request for an internal review should be submitted to us within 40 working days of receipt by you of this response. Any such request received after this time will only be considered at the discretion of the Council.
If you are still not satisfied following the Internal Review, you have a right to appeal to the Information Commissioner at the contact details provided below.
Information Commissioner"s Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF
Telephone: 01625 545 700
Yours sincerely
Information Management Team
ICT Services
London Borough of Hackney
Page updated: 13/04/2021 15:09:30