An entrance to Hornchurch Country Park will be closed for nearly two months to allow landscaping works on a Covid-19 memorial woodland to begin.

Over 4,000 trees will be planted at the memorial woodland, which has been proposed to mark the impact of the pandemic in Havering.

Plans for the woodland were supported by 85 per cent of respondents to an online survey in September last year.

Havering Council has now confirmed landscaping will commence today (January 26).

There will be no access or parking at the south entrance off South End Road for seven weeks due to the works, which include the planting of unbranched tree seedlings called whips.

“Access and car parking remains available at the north entrance for visitors,” a Havering Council spokesperson said.

This comes after the planting of the borough’s first Covid-19 commemoration trees took place at Queen’s Hospital on Monday (January 24).

A decision on the planning application for the erection of a plinth in the Covid memorial woodland is due to be decided by February 8.