22 AUGUST 2007:  HARROGATE Borough Council's policy of planting two trees for every tree it has to remove will be implemented at Hambleton Grove in Knaresborough.  It is with regret that a decision has been made to remove four London plane trees on the even house number side of Hambleton Grove. 

 

Three London plane trees on the odd house number side of Hambleton Grove/Terrace are to be retained as, unlike those on the even number side, they are not as yet causing structural problems.

 

Harrogate Borough Council fully appreciates the benefits of trees in the local landscape and its normal practice is only to remove urban trees for reasons associated with statutory requirements on health and safety grounds or where the level of risk to safety outweighs the value of their retention.

 

Councillor Don Mackenzie, Cabinet Member for Planning and Transport, confirmed that complaints had been received from residents about these trees.  He said:  "They have grown so large that the footway has been damaged by the heave of the tree roots below and it 8has been lifted by 150mm above the surrounding footway level.  This in itself is dangerous for pedestrians but added to that the footway has been reduced by the girth of the trees down to fifty per cent of what it should be.  This is not wide enough to allow a wheelchair or a double buggy to pass. 

 

"We considered build-outs within the carriageway to divert the footway around the trees but this is not practicable as the size and shape of the build-outs would obstruct existing vehicular access and parking outside residential properties.  It would also not remove the potential risk to pedestrians or the continuing damage which is being caused to residents' properties as well as to the footway."

 

In a survey carried out by the council, the overall majority of residents in these streets have accepted that the trees should be removed.  The council's Arboricultural Manager is to ask North Yorkshire County Council for permission to plant the replacement trees at Castle School playing fields which was what most residents wished to see happen.

 

NOTE TO EDITORS:  These trees were planted over 80 years ago and were not the right trees for these streets.  In modern planting schemes, the council will consider the most appropriate tree species and form for each location. This may mean that fastigiate trees, which are of a much tighter and narrower form, are chosen for a particular site.

 

Over the past five years, the council's Arboricultural Team has had to remove just 153 trees over its 500 square mile district and has planted 832 in their place, which far exceeds its policy of two for one.

 

Added to that 5000 tree whips have been planted in public woodlands as part of both woodland management as well as community and volunteer initiatives.  In excess of 10,000 trees have been planted as part of schemes involving other council departments and local businesses over the past few years.