Trees to be felled in Falmouth despite protests
Cornwall Council has confirmed they're being cut down as they could be a 'potential hazard'
The council has confirmed three street trees in Falmouth will be cut down today, despite protests from locals.
The council postponed the work last week following intervention from police.
A protest group, called Stop the Chop, converged on Trelawney Road in the town on the morning of Monday, March 17 in a bid to stop workers from the council’s highways offshoot Cormac cutting down the 60-year-old lime trees, which the council says are a “potential hazard”. The campaigners have been calling for exact details of why they need to be felled.
Debs Newman, from Stop the Chop, said it was “appalling” that the council has decided to carry out the work. She said: "The council has provided no evidence to show that this is necessary or proportionate.
"Following last Monday’s events when the police stopped the felling due there being no ecology report, Inspector Milburn raised the issues of communication and public confidence as serious areas of concern. However, the council has clearly made no attempt to improve either. Its entire handling of this matter has been the opposite of transparent and open."
"These trees are protected. They are healthy and pose no imminent risk. There is no reason to chop them down. So why is Cornwall Council hell bent on doing so? With no valid reason being given despite months of asking, we can’t help but feel that something else is going on here. Our Freedom of Information request was withheld. Why? What is the council hiding? We just want answers, as members of the public, from our elected representatives and all we will get is three stumps where these beautiful, old trees once stood. It’s corporate vandalism.
"We will be there on Wednesday at 7am to once again pay our respects to these wonderful trees and cry for their completely unnecessary destruction."
A spokesperson from Cornwall Council said: "We can appreciate the strength of feeling generated by the decision to remove three trees from a section of Trelawney Road, in Falmouth.
"It is not a decision the council has taken lightly. We seek to retain trees wherever possible, and their removal is very much a last resort.
"However, under the Highways Act we have a legal duty to ensure that trees growing on footpaths and within the public highway do not pose a potential hazard to pedestrians, traffic and nearby properties.
"We have reviewed alternative measures, such as root removal and root barriers, but unfortunately these works cannot be undertaken without compromising the health and integrity of the trees, and risk creating a danger to the public.
"Under law, before trees can be removed, they must be inspected by a ‘competent person’ for evidence of nesting birds or bats. We have met this legal responsibility - ecologists have inspected the trees on several occasions and found no evidence of such.
"We would like to reiterate that in this instance there is no legal requirement for a formal ecology report.
"Devon and Cornwall Police are reassured that the requisite ecology work has taken place and removal of the trees is now scheduled to start on Wednesday morning, March 26.
"As previously stated, we remain committed to replacing the trees with four new trees, planted in specialist tree pits and placed in buildouts between the existing parking areas.
"These trees will be planted during tree planting season, which begins in September."