New world record celebrated by Kim Wilde

A new world record has been broken with the ‘largest tree ever to be transplanted’. The tree, which has been nicknamed ‘Plane Ace’, has travelled all the way from Belgium to the UK, where it has been replanted at Winwick Park, a new luxury homes development in Warrington, Cheshire.

The project has been organised and funded by property developer, Countryside Properties PLC who are responsible for the development. Countryside teamed up with horticulturist, and former pop star, Kim Wilde last year, and together they have developed the project. Crowds gathered on Thursday last week, (25th January), to watch the star participating in a ceremony to celebrate the re-planting of Plane Ace, at Winwick Park.

Winwick Park is an 85-acre brownfield new homes development in the north of Warrington, on the site of what was formerly Winwick Hospital. Property Developer Countryside Properties, is landscaping nearly 38-acres of parkland, retaining the many mature trees on the land, and planting 80 additional semi-mature trees, which are being hand picked and imported from Belgium and France. 300 new homes are being built in varied styles ranging from three to five bedrooms.

The layout of Winwick Park has been cleverly designed to create a very smart and picturesque environment of trees, landscaped gardens and houses that reflect the charming architecture of the surrounding Cheshire villages. Features incorporate soft red bricks, half-timbering, decorative tile hanging and colour washed render.

“The entrance to the Winwick Park is stunning.” explains Managing Director of Countryside Properties’ Strategic Division, Robin Hoyles. “There is a formal landscaped tree-lined boulevard from the entrance, which is lined with grand Regency-style houses, leading to this magnificent record breaking tree as the centre piece of a new square at the heart of the development.”

The tree has been nicknamed ‘Plane Ace’ as it is a London Plane Tree, ‘Acer Folia’. It is approximately 60 years old and stands at 57’11” (17.65 metres) above ground. It has a Trunk Girth of approximately 3 ft. (1.05 metres) and is expected to live for approximately 250 years, by which time it is estimated to have reached 150 ft. in height. The current holder of the Guiness Book of Record’ world title, is a 100 year old Horse Chestnut (Aesculus hippocastanum), measuring 52ft. (16m) high and was moved just 196 ft. (60m) by Bomen BSI Service of The Netherlands on 27th March 1997.

Plane Ace was collected from its current home at the Abor Nursery at Aarchen near Brussels, Belgium on Tuesday 16th January, from where it was loaded onto a ‘trombone’ trailer and transported by road to the port of Zebrugge. It was ferried to the port of Hull and then carried by road from Hull to Warrington.

Houses are available at Winwick Park priced from £154,950 to £315,000. For sales enquiries telephone: 01925 419 463 or visit the website: www.countryside-residential.co.uk