Campaigners issue warning amid council update on Trelawney Road trees
Stop the Chop! say they're 'astounded'
Campaigners are warning 'all street trees' across Cornwall could be 'at risk' following yesterday's announcement by the council that three protected trees are to be felled on Falmouth's Trelawney Road.
Stop the Chop! say they're 'astounded' to read in the recent statement by the local authority, which says: “The roots of the trees have caused- and are still causing - serious damage to infrastructure, nearby land, and property.
"As a result, the Council is legally required to remove them.”
Read more: Trelawney Road: council update on need to remove three trees
Stop the Chop! spokesperson, Debs Newman said: “According to the statement this damage has been known about since alleged investigations took place in 2021 and 2022, so why hasn’t Cornwall Council provided evidence for this during the seven months that we've been asking for an explanation?
"Why only now, after there have been three failed attempts to fell the trees, and two public protests during which people could've been hurt or arrested, are they claiming serious damage to services?
“What we all need to acknowledge is that if Cornwall Council gets away with felling these three, healthy, protected trees, without providing verifiable evidence for their claims as to why they need to be removed, then no street trees in Falmouth …. across the whole of Cornwall …. indeed across the entire country are safe.”
'We always look for ways to protect and preserve trees wherever we can'
Councillor Dan Rogerson, Portfolio Holder for Transport at Cornwall Council, said: "We understand how much these trees mean to the local community. It’s been frustrating for all of us that we couldn’t share more details sooner, but we had to respect the legal process.
“We value the role trees play in our towns and neighbourhoods - for wildlife, wellbeing, and climate. That’s why we’ve planted over 1.6 million trees through our Forest for Cornwall programme.
“We always look for ways to protect and preserve trees wherever we can. But in this case, the damage to nearby property, public infrastructure, and essential services leaves us with no safe or viable alternative.”