More dead plants on A45 Chowns Mill roundabout leads to concerns from councillors and MP

The A45/A6 Chowns Mill roundabout was part of a £24 million improvement project to ease severe congestion and bottlenecks and to improve safety.

Work started in February 2020 and was completed in December 2021, with a ceremonial tree planting ceremony to mark the occasion.

As part of the improvement works there was a promise to plant trees, plants and vegetation once work was complete to enhance the area and mitigate the impact of the vegetation lost during the work.

However, this newspaper reported in October 2023 how a number of the newly planted trees had died, with National Highways saying at the time that it could be down to a 'prolonged period' of hot and dry weather.

Unfortunately it seems history may be repeating itself as further planting at the site seems to have suffered a similar fate.

Higham Ferrers councillor Gerald Kelly has been liaising with Wellingborough and Rushden MP Gen Kitchen after noticing that much of the vegetation planted has since died or is in a poor condition.

Together they lodged a request for National Highways to carry out further planting to replace the dead plants.

Higham Ferrers Town Council has since had a response from National Highways, which says: “I understand the concerns raised by local councillors about the condition of the vegetation, and I share their disappointment that so many of the plants have died.

"We've started to remove the dead plants from the roundabout and will shortly begin to plant new ones in their place.

"We believe the prolonged period of drought that followed the initial planting was a major factor in why so many of the plants died.

"However, we're also taking soil samples to identify if there were other factors that may have contributed.

"This will help to ensure the new plants thrive, and that similar issues don't occur again in the future.

"We'll be looking to plant the vegetation in November 2025 as this will further increase their chances of survival.”

The Northants Telegraph asked National Highways for a comment on the current situation and a spokesman said: “We’re continuing to progress the replanting programme, and clearance work, the digging of trial holes and soil sampling will be ongoing this month.

"Further exploratory work and procurement will take place during the year before the planting of trees and vegetation this autumn and an aftercare and monitoring regime through the following year.”