OWRA September 2026 Newsletter
Hello everyone,
Please find below a brief update on Estate matters following the most recent Board meeting.
Verges
Following the hot summer, many of our verges are looking rather dry. Hopefully, with some rain, they will soon recover, but in the meantime, we would appreciate it if residents could do their best to keep their verges tidy and well maintained.
It has also been noted that some contractors have been placing signs on verges around the estate. Under the Estate Guidelines, neither signs nor hoardings should be placed on verges, so we would kindly ask residents to arrange for any such signs to be removed.
If contractors wish to advertise their services, and residents are happy with the work they have carried out, they can instead be added to the list of recommended contractors maintained as part of the WhatsApp group.
Thank you for helping to keep the estate looking tidy and well maintained.
The Estate’s trees
We have some 900 trees on the Estate including those on the islands. It’s a diverse population with well over 50 species.
Our tree nursery Barchams visited the Estate recently and commented on this diversity and the fact that most of the trees have done well, in spite of 2026 being the hottest summer on record.
Many of us walk the Estate and enjoy the trees, so we need to plan carefully for the future.
Challenges
There are two particular challenges to the tree population, namely diseases and climate change.
We have lost a number of trees to diseases such as honey fungus and bleeding canker. We have also suffered from oak processionary moths in our oak species.
Last summer was the hottest ever on record and the effects were most visible in a number of our native species, notably the Beeches, Birches, Cherries and Rowans (Mountain Ash). They generally have shallow root systems and were put under strain by the very hot and dry conditions. That said, we distributed 24 hydration bags to residents for the younger trees and these have been very well used by residents, for which thanks, helping most of those trees survive.
Recommendations for the future
Based on advice from Barchams and our tree surgeon Mark Lindsey, we have in mind a number of actions as set out below:
Diversity: we plant new trees most years to replace trees that have been removed as a result of disease or old age. We will be looking in the future to plant species that are regarded as resilient to climate change. We have a number of such species on the Estate already, such as Crab Apples, American Pin Oaks, Indian Bean trees, Canadian Maples, Cypress Oaks and Honey Locust. To this we can add species such as Black Walnuts, Hollies and Japanese Privets. Most of the these trees are non-native (or exotic) and have higher tolerance to hot, dry conditions.
Regular planting: diversity also encompasses having a wide range of young to older trees, so we intend to keep planting new species each year.
Larger new trees: our experience from the last few years is that older, new trees with reasonably well developed root systems have survived best. They cost more but there is likely a saving since they are more likely to survive their early years.
Maintenance: all of our trees benefit from being well maintained, especially the younger ones. We would ask residents to monitor the trees on their verges and where appropriate: water trees regularly in hot weather (preferably every 4-5 days) using hydration bags and also feed trees a couple of times a year with any basic tomato feed.
Tree care: Mark and the Board will continue to monitor tree health and carry out works to trees that require maintenance or removal. We request residents to contact the Board should they observe any works that require urgent attention. Tree works are generally carried out in January each year but also as and when needed if urgent.
The Estate spends some £25 -30k per year on tree works, replacement and maintenance. We believe that this is in line with maintaining the aesthetic of the Estate which is one of our primary objectives.
Road sweeps
Sweeps through the autumn are currently booked in for September 26th, October 10th/24th & November 7th/21st. As usual, please ensure as far as possible that cars and wheelie bins are off the road from early morning on those dates.
Letter from Surrey Police
Please see the attached letter from Surrey Police, which they have asked us to distribute to residents of the estate. While the contents are largely common sense, it is always useful to have a timely reminder of these simple measures.
Best wishes,
The OWRA Board.