Thousands of native trees and plants are being planted in Melbourne’s north and east, as part of Victoria’s biggest road project, North East Link.

A new community survey has been launched to encourage locals to suggest where some of the 30,000 new trees that will be delivered as part of North East Link should be planted.

Over 2000 trees and plants were recently planted at Belle Vue Primary School and at Simpson Barracks in Yallambie.

Year 5 and 6 Belle Vue Primary School sustainability students cared for some of these young trees while learning remotely at home in Term 3 and planted them on school grounds this week.

Trees and care kits were supplied to the students by social enterprise Ecodynamics nursery, and students will watch their trees mature and grow among 200 trees already planted at the school.

The important tree planting program will create more shade across local suburbs, parks, walking and cycling paths, in nature reserves, and at local schools, with more trees to be planted for the project than removed.

As part of North East Link, the state’s first green roofed park and ride will be built in Bulleen and has been fast-tracked by four years to be completed in 2022.

The Banyule Flats, Warringal Parklands and the Yarra River will be protected as North East Link’s six-kilometre twin tunnel will run underground from Simpson Barracks to Bulleen Road, near the Eastern Freeway.

North East Link is Victoria’s biggest road project – it will give local roads back to local communities, create thousands of jobs and provide safer and quicker journeys for up to 135,000 drivers a day.

It will connect the M80 to the Eastern Freeway, slash travel times by up to 35 minutes, take 15,000 trucks off local roads and create 10,000 jobs.

The survey closes on Thursday, 31 December 2020, for more information visit www.engage.vic.gov.au/north-east-link.