Hull Queens Gardens: First tree planted in £12m city park revamp

The first tree has been planted as part of a multi-million pound project to redevelop the biggest green space in Hull city centre.

A 40ft (12m) tall Giant Redwood tree was winched into place in Queens Gardens as part of the £12m revamp.

The scheme has attracted criticism over the felling of trees in the park and a big increase in costs.

Each of the 100 trees set to be removed would be replaced, Labour council leader Daren Hale has pledged.

Queens Gardens was once the site of the UK's largest dock before it was filled in during the 1930s.

Work on the transformation project is being carried out in two phases, with the first stage due to be completed in June this year.

Mr Hale said some of the trees at the site were having to be replaced as they were damaging walls, while others were "at the end of their natural life and a bit diseased".

He defended a rise in projected costs, from a reported £4.3m in 2020 to nearly £12m now, saying the extra money would be spent on flood defence systems and ensuring the site would be "engineered for the long term" to cope with climate change.

The park was a vital piece of the redevelopment of the city centre and would reflect Hull's maritime history, Mr Hale added.

"When you walk though here in the future, this garden will tell the story of its former life as a dock and part of the nautical tradition of the city."

Project manager Gillian Osgerby said the revamp would allow for a "more flexible space" to hold events and concerts, as well as creating a space for wildlife.

"When these gardens were designed in the 1930s there was much less known about layered planting and thinking about birds, bees and pollinators," she said.

"It's something we've been really, really conscious of: making sure that bio-diversity has really been thought about, thinking about the right mixture of planting and habitats."

The transformation of Queens Gardens is expected to be finally completed in late 2023.

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