200-year-old trees to be chopped down
Centuries-old trees in a Northampton street are being cut down to protect houses built only 25 years ago.
Six 200-year-old oak trees and one 120-year-old ash tree are being chopped down in Green Lane in West Hunsbury.
Mavis Wilmshurst, who lives in neighbouring Greenglades, said she was horrified at the decision.
The retired nurse said: "I thought they were just going to cut parts of them but then I realised they were going to chop them down completely.
"They have not made any attempt to underpin the houses to protect them. One of the houses has been under-pinned and the tree is still standing so why can't they do that with all of the affected houses?"
She believes the houses, which are very close to the old trees, should never have been built.
She said: "I just walked past one of the trees being chopped down and it almost reduced me to tears. Those trees are so huge and so beautiful. I'm not Northamptonshire born and bred but I know this was an original coach route from the canal, and it has historical significance for the town. Those trees are part of that and the houses were built too close to them."
Northampton Borough Councillor Trini Crake (Lib Dem, Boughton Green), cabinet member for environment said: "It is disappointing that we are forced to fell seven trees in Green Lane and they will be a loss to the area."
She said the trees had been causing subsidence problems for several years and added: "We have exhausted every alternative to felling these beautiful trees. This means we are forced to remove the trees at the earliest possible opportunity.
"After checking for nesting birds and other wildlife, specialist tree contractors are now felling the trees," she said.
"We have a duty to care for the local environment and will always fight to protect assets like trees. However in situations where a tree causes structural damage it will have to be felled when all other options have been exhausted."
A spokesman for the authority added he could not confirm if and when the trees would be replaced, but said as the soil had a high clay content and needed time to recover there were no plans to replace them in the immediate future.
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Friday 25 May 2012
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