Redlands Trees

In August this year, I reported that several trees in the Alexandra/Addington road area were going to be cut down on grounds of safety. Now that the branches have been removed from nearly 20 Lime trees - deemed too dangerous to remain - they will be felled some time before christmas. This will add the numerous tree stumps which have been left in the ward.

This is a subject which is very dear to me and I had been working with officers to ensure that trees are replaced when they are removed but also to ensure that they are not removed in the first place: making sure that prominent trees have tree protection orders, and are taken into consideration during planning discussions.

At full council on the 13 October I asked the following question:

Could the Lead Councillor comment on the progress to replace the trees which were (or are in the process of being) removed from the Addington/Alexandra road area of Redlands - as a consequence of fungal infection and decay?

 The written response from Councillor Page (Lead Councillor for Planning and Transport) was:

The Council is in the process of assessing underground utilities in this area of Reading and considering different tree species to ensure that new trees, when planted, will not damage underground services or suffer any potential damage themselves. This will result in a plan of action to replant and replace trees wherever possible.

I can assure Councillor Goodall that there will be full consultations with local members prior to any final decisions.

Last night, I attended a very interesting meeting hosted by residents at the lower end of Alexandra road who have been as concerned by the loss of trees as me. At the meeting it was noted that too many trees had already been taken down, without any concrete commitment from the Council to replace. They understood why stumps had been left but felt they made the ward look unsightly and were a constant reminder of what had been lost. Plus they couldn't understand why there was a delay in replacing these trees.

So last night the residents group 'save our trees' came into being and will continue to campaign, with the full support of myself, and my Lib Dem colleagues, to get replacement trees.

I will keep you posted on future developments and if you would like to attend the next 'save our trees' meeting please get in contact and we can point you in the right direction.