Trees to be cut back outside Wakefield Cathedral amid anti-social behaviour concerns
It's as they've become a magnet for people begging and street drinking
Work to cut back trees outside Wakefield Cathedral is to be carried out amid concerns they contribute to anti-social behaviour problems in the city centre.
Wakefield Council has approved proposals for the work on trees around the steps and main entrance to the building “in the interests of health and safety.”
The decision was made in the same week senior councillors were asked questions about public safety in the city centre.
During a Q&A session at the council’s cabinet meeting last month, a resident asked if there were plans to maintain the trees around the cathedral, adding: “I’m talking about how they provide an obstruction in the area.”
The resident added that she found the area “a bit intimidating as people congregate around there and there is begging and drinking.”
In response, Jack Hemingway, the council’s deputy leader, said: “We are looking at things like the trees and making the city a more attractive place.
“The trees around the cathedral are part of a conservation area, so there is limitation on how much we can remove.
“They are protected to an extent and they are part of the character of the area but I take on board the concerns and we will look to see what we can do about cutting those trees back.
“I’m aware that, as bird nesting season comes to an end, we are looking at working with the arbour team about doing some work on those trees and others in the city centre.”
A notice approving the work said it would “achieve a maximum clearance of three metres between the branch tips and surrounding ground level.”
Coun Hemingway, who is also portfolio holder for regeneration and economic growth, said the council was looking to expand public spaces protection orders in the city centre.
He added: “Safety in the city centre is incredibly important to us.
“If we don’t have a safe city and if people don’t feel safe and comfortable then they are not going to come into shop, they are not going to come in and enjoy time there.
“We really want it to be a safe and welcoming space, so we very much take those concerns on board and there is lots going on at the moment in this space.
“We have recently set up a city centre task force which is bringing together the businesses, some of the key partners, to look at the main issues that are affecting the city.
“That includes aggressive begging, and it includes some of the other anti-social behaviour issues.”
Daniel Wilton, cabinet member for communities, said the council had issued 164 fixed penalty notices for anti-social and nuisance behaviour in the city centre in the past year.
He added: “We absolutely know some of these hotspots and it’s for us to ensure that officers are in there at the right times.
“We are reviewing powers to tackle aggressive begging, substance misuse and nuisance gatherings, getting those enforcement officers on the street and getting them working with the police to make a difference.”