Peats Ferry Road See Amazing Tree Growth with Stratavault
In 2015, Hornsby Shire Council led the redevelopment of Peats Ferry Road, Hornsby – located between Coronation and Station Streets. An existing urban roadway, this area was a rather dull environment of concrete, asphalt, and clay paving which sees a lot of high pedestrian and car traffic as it links to the nearby train station and Westfield.
Project Update – 2023
Our team recently visited the site to observe the growth of the trees planted in the road using stratavault. The Citygreen team was excited to note that these trees have surpassed their expected canopy growth despite being planted in the road.
2015 Initial Construction and Planting
Peats Ferry Rd sits opposite the busy Hornsby train station and connected Westfield Shopping Centre and was struggling to attract potential shoppers when compared to the local Westfield.
Simon Comish, Engineering Designer at Hornsby Shire Council, said, “Our goal was to soften the streetscape by installing street trees and low level planting with the hope of injecting some new life and attracting people back to the westside of Hornsby, in turn having a positive impact on local business and the economy.
The trees were planted in Stratavault soil vaults to give structural support to the above road and pavement, yet the void space within the modules ensures that the tree roots have plenty of uncompacted high quality soil to ensure the tree can grow to maturity.
As you can see in the above photo the openings in the stratavault modules are large enough to fit around existing underground infrastructure.
“Citygreen were consulted to confirm the Stratavault product would be suitable for the site, with an emphasis on the strength and durability required. One challenge was to accommodate existing underground utilities within the proposed tree pits, and we needed to be sure that Stratavault was able to do this. Citygreen confirmed that Stratavault was the right product for the job, and having been aware of the product for quite some time, we were excited to have our first opportunity to truly test it for possible future use on other projects.
“This project consists of 6 tree pits, with a matrix area of 5.85 metres x 1.35 metres, featuring two layers of Stratavault. Within the tree pits, we planted beautiful Acer Freemanni (Autumn Blaze), Zelkova Serrate (Green Blaze), and Pyrus Calleryana (Ornamental Pear) – providing a striking visual effect, particularly in autumn.
“Working with Citygreen was great because they were able to confirm the quantities of the product required, which assisted us in cost estimating. They also visited the site and provided instructions to the construction crew on the installation of the product, which was really useful.
“So far everything has performed well. There has been no subsidence of the road pavement or tree surrounds, and the trees appear to be doing well considering the rather extreme hot weather we had following the planting in November and December, 2015. We’ve had positive feedback from the Mayor and others, with the area now beautified for the enjoyment of all.”
If you’re interested in how we can help you achieve the same result, book a consult with one of our urban greening consultants.