The first of 80 trees on a four-mile New Town heritage trail goes in at Walden End at 2pm on 28 October, the last at Hampson Park. The public can join the Mayor.

Stevenage is getting 80 new trees for its 80th birthday as a New Town, planted along a four-mile heritage trail from Bedwell to Pin Green, and residents are invited to the first planting on Wednesday 28 October at 2pm.

The launch is at Walden End, opposite Vista Tower, where the first tree goes in. Those taking part then travel to Hampson Park in Pin Green to plant the final tree on the route, according to the Stevenage Borough Council event listing, which gives the event’s hours as 2pm to 5pm.

The council says members of the public are invited to join the Mayor of Stevenage, Councillor Lloyd Briscoe, “in celebrating the start of the project”. Councillor Rob Broom, the council’s Cabinet member for Environment, will also be there, the council told Stevenage Today.

The trail

The project is called 80 Trees for Stevenage at 80. Over the autumn, the council says, 80 trees will be planted along a four-mile heritage trail “through some of the neighbourhoods that have shaped Stevenage since it became Britain’s first New Town”.

The route starts in Bedwell and passes through Broadwater, Shephall and Chells before ending at Hampson Park in Pin Green. The council says it will “trace Stevenage’s journey from its earliest post-war neighbourhoods to the town we know today”.

Graphic showing the 80 Trees for Stevenage at 80 heritage trail: four miles, 80 trees, starting in Bedwell and passing through Broadwater, Shephall and Chells to end at Hampson Park in Pin Green. Launch Wednesday 28 October at 2pm at Walden End, opposite Vista Tower.
The four-mile route of the 80 Trees for Stevenage at 80 trail, from the council's event listing. Graphic by Stevenage Today
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Only the first and last trees go in on launch day. The council says the remaining 78 “will be planted in the following weeks”.

It describes the trail as “a landmark project that will create a lasting legacy for future generations”, and says it will add to the town’s green infrastructure, biodiversity and “resilience to climate change” as well as marking the anniversary.

Vista Tower in Stevenage town centre, with scaffolding and sheeting on its lower floors
Vista Tower, opposite Walden End, where the first tree will be planted. Photo: Andy Steele, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Geograph and Wikimedia Commons

What it means for you

  • Go along: Wednesday 28 October, 2pm, Walden End opposite Vista Tower, then on to Hampson Park for the final tree. It falls in the October half term.
  • Watch your street: the other 78 trees are due over the following weeks along the Bedwell, Broadwater, Shephall and Chells stretch of the route. The council has not yet published the exact planting spots.
  • More on the anniversary: the trail is one of a run of events for Stevenage at 80, alongside Stevenage Museum’s New Town programme and the new PlayZone pitch at King George V Park. The full list is in our What’s On guide.