War commemoration proposal would cost around £6m, says report

Richard Youle – Local democracy reporter

A woodland proposed by Labour councillors to commemorate a city’s war dead could cost as much as £6m, a meeting heard.

There were also logistical challenges such as finding a suitable area of land in Swansea, potential damage to trees, and public access.

The council’s ruling Labour group put forward a motion two years ago to ask for a report outlining options for a commemorative woodland. It coincided with the 100th anniversary of the cenotaph in Swansea, which was unveiled in 1923.

The grade two-listed monument opposite the Recreation Ground, near St Helen’s, has the names of 2,677 ward dead.

Trees

A report before a council committee said land equivalent to half of Singleton Park, Sketty, would be needed for a woodland with 2,677 trees and that the council didn’t have a site large enough for it.

It said planting trees of 2.5m and above would be a better option than smaller whips because their survival rate was a lot higher.

However with trees of 2.5m and above costing £145 to £175 and requiring two years of watering to become established – plus weeding and pruning – the costs start to mount.

Add to that ways of commemorating the trees, for example linking them individually to the 2,677 ward dead via QR codes, and the woodland’s total cost was estimated at £5.9m to £6.2m.

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Sustainable solution

“There is no available budget for such a proposal which accordingly is not considered to be feasible or realistic and an alternative more sustainable solution needs to be identified,” said the report.

As the council plants an average of 300 trees per year already the proposed way forward was to dedicate a name listed on the cenotaph for each new tree. The tree’s location would be recorded and available on a map linked to that person’s record on an archives website.

In this way, said the report, the names of the 2,677 war dead could be commemorated in just under 10 years and at no extra cost to the council.

Councillors on the climate change and nature recovery service transformation committee said getting the public involved in tree-planting schemes reduced the chances of damage and vandalism and recommended this was explored for the woodland commemoration proposal.

Cllr Mair Baker said trees planted in her Penderry ward to commemorate people who’d died during the Covid pandemic were “springing up lovely” – apart from three snapped by horses – because children and grandchildren helped maintain them.

Report

Cllr Rebecca Fogarty said a youth group got involved in a tree scheme in her West Cross ward and that care had been taken by the council to plant the right type of tree in the right place. The experience was, she said, very positive.

One complication arising is that the records of many soldiers are not likely to be found. The report said two-thirds of First World War soldiers’ records were destroyed during the Second World War bombing of London.

The committee recommended that the woodland commemoration was achieved in line with the council’s existing planting of 300 trees per year with Cllr Chris Evans suggesting that input should be sought from Cllr Wendy Lewis who is the authority’s armed forces champion.

The report and recommendation will now to go to cabinet for consideration.