The Civic Society and Conservation 50 are very concerned that
the Hertfordshire County Council (HCC) still intend to fell this
mature healthy tree because it is considered a safety issue with
regard to the planned car park entrance to the Civic Centre
Opportunity Site South (CCOSS) project.
The loss of a fine mature tree at a most important point adjoining
the Victoria Street/Bricket Road junction shows extraordinary
misjudgement, which once more prioritises traffic at the expense of
the natural environment at a time when every effort should be made
to reduce traffic and pollution by promoting greening. The evidence
is clear that not only do trees help tackle the climate crisis but
are also essential for the well-being of the public.
This tree has been on the pavement of Bricket Road for many years
without any recorded safety issues, either for traffic or
pedestrians. It is ironic that felling this tree should be on the
grounds of 'health and safety' and actually ignore the health
benefits and beauty it brings to the community. The reality should
be a different way of thinking, whereby the CCOSS project should
take into account the importance of this tree and all the others to
the citizens of St Albans and accommodate its plans accordingly and
not the other way around.
The felling of this tree would also set an unwelcome precedent for
the few other mature trees in Bricket Road which can be seen 'to
encroach into the carriageway'. It would be seen as yet another
loss, added to the significant number of fine trees, which will be
felled around this site as a result of the planned works. While at
the same time flying in the face of the aim "Greening the City" at
a time when the importance of trees is being universally recognised
(the Government are proposing that developers will be required to
plant more trees in the future).
Although it is understood that at this stage in the project it is not possible for financial reasons to resite the entrance to the underground car park, this does not mean the lime tree has to be an unnecessary casualty of the plans disregard of the urban landscape.
Please urge the HCC to recognise the importance of healthy
trees, abandon its plans to fell this mature lime tree and listen
to the public who do understand that trees need to be valued and
not recklessly lost to misplaced expediency.
Started by: Tim Boatswain (Conservation 50 & Civic Society)
This ePetition runs from 22/12/2020 to 16/02/2021.
288 people have signed this ePetition.