Chiswick High Road Christmas tree ‘sucks the light and joy out of Christmas’

The rather sad looking Christmas tree on the corner of Annandale Road and Chiswick High Road

Unlit tree bound with hazard tape and decorated with a sign saying: ‘KEEP CLEAR’

Someone has put a sign on the Christmas tree on Chiswick High Road, declaring it ‘sucks the light and joy out of Christmas’, and bound the tree with hazard tape.

The tree was the focal point for carol singers at the switching on of the Christmas lights on 27 November but has been without lights or decoration since the switch-on more than two weeks ago.

Cllr Joanna Biddolph has organised the Christmas trees in Chiswick High Road this year, and the trees have been donated by Wheelers garden centre. When I spoke to her at the switching on of the lights, she said she had stepped in because Hounslow Council was cutting back expenditure on Christmas decorations and not providing trees.

The message that someone has left on the tree

The Council has provided the Christmas lights all down the High Road, as they do every year.

She said another sponsor had offered a much bigger tree “which was a really beautiful big tree” but it turned out to be an indoor tree, not suitable for use outside, so they had installed one of two smaller “secondary trees” provided by Wheelers garden centre and intended for other spots in Chiswick, so the children from CTA Performing Arts would have a focal point for their performance at the switching on of the lights.

But once the event was over the lights were switched off. The W4 website reported:

‘According to Hounslow Highways, the cable connecting the tree to its power source was too long to meet traffic management safety standards, given the need to keep pavements and crossings clear.

‘Efforts are now underway to resolve the issue, with Wheeler’s of Chiswick, the council’s traffic team, and Hounslow Highways working together to find a solution’.

The Christmas tree lit for the lights switch-on on 27 November

“If some of the other businesses would put their hand in their pocket we would have a tree with lights on”

Jason Wheeler, one of the two brothers who run Wheelers garden centre, told The Chiswick Calendar Hounslow Highways has said the tree is not tall enough to run a cable to the nearest lamp post with enough headspace over the pavement, but if other businesses had been willing to chip in, Chiswick would have had a bigger tree:

“Jo was trying to get some funding from local businesses. No one would offer any funding, so I put two trees up which cost me £65 each, two barrels which cost me £70 each, two stands which cost me £40 each and four sets of lights which cost me £30 each, so that’s £500 we’re in for.

“I didn’t realise the height was a problem. I haven’t had the time to change the tree. If some of the other businesses had put money in, we could have had a taller tree, but no one was willing to put in anything”.

The two trees Wheelers supplied are eight and a half foot tall. The height requirement for Hounslow Highways to supply electricity is ten foot. Wheelers’ other tree on Turnham Green Terrace is lit, and Jason is not sure why that one was ok if the other was not.

“We all tried to do our best”, he said. “Next year I’ll put up a bigger tree”.

The Chiswick Calendar has contacted Hounslow Highways for a comment and also asked Cllr Biddolph whether she checked the health and safety regulations, as she is usually so precise about them.

READ ALSO: Councillor Biddolph complains about the Chiswick Flower Market but admits she has never actually been there

Last year’s tree, organised by Cllr Biddolph

“We decided not to pursue it and to accept that this year would be different”

Cllr Biddolph told us:

“During the afternoon of the switch-on, Hounslow Highways arrived to connect the trees, and only then did they say they couldn’t connect the tree on Chiswick High Road.

“It wasn’t the height in isolation – which is the same as the Turnham Green Terrace tree which it had connected – but the distance from the lamppost providing the power; if it had been closer, the height would not have been a problem; it if had been taller, the distance would not have been a problem.

“I have tried to find another way to light the tree or to make it more decorative so it would be less obviously lit – discussing this with traders and with Jason.

“We suggested inserting a pole up the middle of the tree to make the connection point taller, but this would not meet safety requirements. We considered battery packs but someone would have to monitor them and replace them …

“… As a collective decision, based on comments, we decided not to pursue it and to accept that this year would be different; we would have to accept a non-lit tree on Chiswick High Road”.

Christmas tree in 2021, organised by the Chiswick Flower Market

Hounslow HIghways confirm

A Council spokesperson told The Chiswick Calendar:

“Ward Councillors began discussions with local businesses in October to locally arrange Christmas Trees in Chiswick, outside of the Council procured trees.

“The trees cannot be connected to nearby lamp columns due to health and safety risks of low hanging wires which can be subject to vandalism and risk the trees toppling over.

“The trees were connected for a short time during the switch on event whilst a lighting engineer was on hand but the engineer recommended the disconnection due to the reason stated above.”

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