Harrogate Borough Council

You are here: Residents > Council & Democracy > Council News > Press Releases (07-08) > Sunday Times and Daily Mail mislead on trees, read the true facts

                       

Dear Mr Booth

 

 

We are very concerned at the criticism you have unjustly levelled at Harrogate Borough Council concerning its care for trees in its control (Sunday Times 5 August 2007).

 

Not only was your article misleading it was also inaccurate.  The figures you quote were not those given to you when you called the council's Arboricultural Manager late Friday afternoon.  Mr Casey told you that figures going back five years were not readily available and he couldn't meet your deadline requirements.  Mr Casey then gave you the figures for last year; 30 trees removed but 160 standard highway trees were planted to replace those lost.  I don't know where your figures came from and even if you had multiplied 30 by 5 it doesn't get anywhere near your spurious figure.

 

The council's current three-year tree strategy outlines a 2 for 1 replacement-planting scheme for any trees removed within any given year.  We are more than meeting our strategy requirements.  Others, according to your article, are slipping on tree planting, but we are most certainly not.  Added to the replacement highway trees we also annually plant between 2000 - 4000 tree whips as part of our woodland strategy working with local groups and volunteers.

 

The council fully appreciates the many benefits of planting, managing and retaining trees within the local landscape.  It is normal practice for this council only to consider felling or removing trees from the urban environment for issues associated with statutory requirements or where the level of risk attached to retaining trees outweighs the value and level of amenity associated with their retention. 

 

Normally, the arboricultural team would fight tooth and nail to protect all trees but on this occasion they have had to agree with highway staff that some of the trees in Hambleton Grove should be removed.

 

The path is only one and a half metres wide and the trees are taking up half of the footpath which means people are having to step into the highway to get past.

 

These trees were planted over 80 years ago and were actually the wrong trees for these streets.  In modern planting schemes, the council will consider the most appropriate tree species and form for that location.  This may mean that Fastigiate trees, which are of a much tighter and narrower form, are chosen for a particular site.

 

This article is damaging to a council that has the highest horticultural standards, and relies heavily on it for its tourist industry.  We would ask that you print a correction.  I look forward to your response confirming what action you will take to correct this misleading article.  And if you suggest the letters' page then I would ask my letter be printed without editing.

 

Yours sincerely

 

 

Councillor Don Mackenzie

Cabinet Member for Planning and Transport