The Bethnal Green mulberry tree is on the grounds of the former London Chest Hospital on Bonner Road, located in Bethnal Green.
History[]
The site of the tree is just to the east of Bonner Road. In the mid-16th century this would have formed part of the gardens of the palace of Bishop Bonner, later known as Bishop's Hall.[1] In the Book of Martyrs, published in 1563, the Bishop is depicted flogging a martyr next to a sapling - suspected to be the very same mulberry.[2]
In the 17th century, Spitalfields, immediately southwest of Bethnal Green, was the centre of London's silk-weaving industry.[3] However, a large number of black mulberries were mistakenly imported into London at the time by King James I, and the Bethnal Green mulberry tree may well be one of them.[[4][5]
Since 2017 the Bethnal Green mulberry has been the subject of fierce local contention.[6] In April 2015 the London Chest Hospital closed and the site was purchased by a housing developer.[7] In early 2017 the developer obtained permission from Tower Hamlets Council's Arboricultural team to relocate the mulberry tree, prior to submitting a planning application to redevelop the hospital and surrounding grounds.
These are covered by the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), which states: 'development resulting in the loss or deterioration of irreplaceable habitats (such as ancient woodland and ancient or veteran trees) should be refused, unless there are wholly exceptional reasons and a suitable compensation strategy exists'.[8] It was argued that the risks associated with moving a veteran tree meant that permission to relocate it ought not to have been granted.[9]Tower Hamlets Council agreed and the plans were temporarily suspended.[10]>
A petition titled 'Save the Bethnal Green Mulberry' was launched in 2017 by the East End Preservation Society. It had reached 10,000 signatures by September 2018. In addition, Tower Hamlets council received three hundred letters of objection.[11] The planning application, including relocation of the mulberry tree, went to Tower Hamlets planning committee in September 2018.[12]
From the Wikipedia page [13] which gives more detail.