Almost 50 new trees are being planted in The Parade, Watford, as the £4.3 million revamp of the area nears completion.

The species will include the Betula Pendula Multistem, commonly known as a multi-silver birch, and Acer Campe known as the Field Maple.

Silver birches will be used to screen off the traffic from Rickmansworth Road and provide a backdrop to the outdoor events space for Watford’s Big Events programme, starting on Friday, June 20.

Beside the renovated pond will be three Betula Pendula, standard silver birches, which the council states were planted to complement the pond’s "greener and cleaner feel".

Field Maples have been chosen to populate the rest of The Parade, planted in between existing mature trees to give the feeling of an avenue of trees.

The maples have been chosen because their branches grow upwards rather than outwards, providing greenery without obscuring street lights.

Dorothy Thornhill, Watford’s elected mayor, said: "We want the town centre to be more family-friendly, so we listened to residents who said that they wanted The Parade area to be even greener.

"The whole point of these improvements is to make the town centre attractive for shoppers and visitors."

Laura Ormerod, architect for The Parade improvements, said: "Trees bring both aesthetic benefits and important ecological benefits to wildlife, creating habitats for birds and insects and improving air quality.

"We have chosen the species for Watford’s Parade carefully, ensuring they complement the existing trees to give The Parade a healthy and pleasant environment for future generations."