Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

Hi there reader
Do you find this message annoying?
Why not register and make a post to get rid of it?

[mythoughts]

Nah, don't buy that on this one....if they were worried about public liability insurance they would have repaired all the broken pavements in the town centre a long time ago.  They only did anything when a local counicllor's wife tripped up near Argos...

Anyway, how come these trees are seen as a problem when the ones in Parkway are beloved by the Council? Far more traffic passes these than park at Stanborough...perhaps Finesse would like to put a copy of the "independent report" on here for us to look at? Before it gets "lost"...

[Mighty Hatfield]

Dont all jump on the back of the council, In many instances the real culprits are the skinflint insurance companies, they get risk assesments then double or treble the impact and then set a sky high insurance quote for renewal for public liability.  This is then queried at the council and they are then told the liability insurance will be very much less if you get rid of the trees. Cleft stick comes to mind, dammed if we do, - (save money taxpayer happy) and dammed if we dont, -- (pay the exorbitant premiums and up the taxes) now who wins NOBODY??

the day those who we elect, make policy on the demand of private companies..... has well, already come and gone.

nevertheless this should be opposed as much as its symbolic value as for anything else. The replanting of the same species they intend to chop down beggars belief further.

[rwolf]

There stealing our trees...  I thought this should go back-up the top of the forum because it's very important

I wonder how much money all those trees are worth and all those trees that got the chop in Comet Way?

Don't you just love the smell of revving chainsaws in the morning

[Flyingshop]

Just a couple of apparent contradictions from WHBC:

Their document "Tree Strategy" available through thier website says:

"Trees can absorb noise.  Although not as effective as solid walls, they are far cheaper and a more attractive feature in the environment." in section 1.8.

and:

"One of the most common concerns in urban life is the effect of increased levels of pollution on our health and welfare. Trees are an important agent in reducing these levels. They are able to absorb carbon dioxide from the air, as well as sulphur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide, in the form of smoke and dust." in section 1.7.


- In a public space beside a motorway would seem to be the ideal place then, how does their intended action comply with these, their own documented strategies?

Document available here: http://www.welhat.gov.uk/Internet/res/filestore/dnld_trees/Tree_Strategy_version11_adopted_version.pdf;internal&action=save.action

[mickeyl]

Cllr Helen Bromley - Cllr for Handside reports [on the Handside Board] there will be a public meeting concerning the culling of the Poplars issue in the South Lakes car park at 6.30pm on 7th August 2008

[mythoughts]

Cllr Helen Bromley - Cllr for Handside reports [on the Handside Board] there will be a public meeting concerning the culling of the Poplars issue in the South Lakes car park at 6.30pm on 7th August 2008

Erm, Mickey, we know this...and it's not Cllr Bromley that's reporting on the Handside Board, it's you! Unless you happen to be a sock-puppet?


http://www.shapps.com/forum/index.php?topic=3402.msg31841#new

[mythoughts]

WGC Society slams Stanborough tree chop

http://www.whtimes.co.uk/content/whtimes/news/story.aspx?brand=WHTOnline&category=News&tBrand=HertsCambsOnline&tCategory=newslatestWHT&itemid=WEED29%20Jul%202008%2015%3A57%3A31%3A220


"It's most ludicrous. It's the council once again not looking after the garden city." Said John Marks, chair of the society when speaking to the Welwyn Hatfield Times...

At least the news is out there in the bigger wide world now...Oh, and it's very windy today but they haven't closed the Carparks...of course not, they make too much money! And I've found out that they can be trimmed...in fact, the Council gave permission for a Lombard Poplar to be trimmed only last year!

Anyway, well done to Flyingshop for breaking the news and to the WHT for picking up on it. Another first for this forum? My, you have to keep your eye on the Council website otherwise we'd never have known!

{Ironically, the WHT article is topped by a banner advert for a Grounds Maintenence company that cites WHDC as a client...however, I have to say I thought the company in question lost the grounds maintence contract a long time ago??}

[Flyingshop]

 I have updated the webpage with a few more links, if anybody has more info to add i'm happy to include it.


www.welwynhatfield.co.uk\stanboroughtrees

[mythoughts]

P.S  Poplar trees host a wide varierty of invertebrate species and provide nesting opportunities for birds and bats... has Finesse done a bat survey? Lots of questions to ask at the meeting...

[mythoughts]

... and has the Council valued our trees under CAVAT yet?

V = π x radius2 x unit value factor

The Town and Country Planning Act 1990 (section 198) establishes, that trees have value as a public amenity and gives local planning authorities the duty to protect trees in the public interest.

1) Amenity Factors. The value may be increased to take account of features of the tree that are of special benefit to the community. Special factor adjustments should be used sparingly; most trees will not have any special factor adjustment. There may be up to a maximum of 4 special factors and a total adjustment of up to 40%; (10% for each amenity factor, other than Veteran/ Ancient Trees: 30%), for example: Townscape and visual importance:
 integral part of a designed landscape, including avenues or designed park or garden;
 contribution to the setting of an important place or building;
 in a school, or by its entrance;
 in a particularly prominent location, e.g. a town centre, or at the entrance of a major public building, etc; or
 part of a wider grouping giving character to the area, e.g. long-maintained street pollards.

Well, I'd say that made these trees incredibly valuable then...

http://www.ltoa.org.uk/docs/CAVAT-rev-May2008.pdf

[Lid]

Clearly this proposed felling is completely wrong and must be stopped. Didn't Finesse say earlier in the year that they want to install CCTV in the car park, but the trees render it fairly useless?

If these tress are actually felled, what is the real likelihood that a similar density, or even any trees at all will be replanted after it has lain fallow for the whole of 2009?

[George]

Perhaps we should ask as many residents as possible to contribute £5 or £10 each, or whatever it takes, to a fighting fund in order to try and get a legal injuction to stop this proposed carnage.

I consider it outrageous that Finesse are allowed to have anything whatseoever to do with trees. It's a deriliction of the Council's duty and a poor reflection on our local Tory rulers. Finesse are paid to manage leisure facilities; not trees.

[mythoughts]

If these tress are actually felled, what is the real likelihood that a similar density, or even any trees at all will be replanted after it has lain fallow for the whole of 2009?

In my opinion, slim. These trees can be cropped but this has to happen on a regular basis so I reckon it's a financial decision.

I've seen this done before in a car park in Dartmoor. A lovely place I've gone to for many years that has a huge wood leading down to the River Dart...you can cross the river via stepping stones and walk for miles and miles and find spots where the only sound you hear is birds' wings flapping over-head.  Three years ago, we arrived to see they'd chopped down 50 per cent of the trees in this car park. It was as if a Tsunami had ripped through the area. I felt like I'd lost a load of old friends in one swoop..I went there again last October and they've not been replaced with anything. Tragic. However, for once, the people of Welwyn Hatfield have been made aware of this in time to do something about it and it's encouraging to see how many people are viewing this thread and making their own contributions.

Perhaps we should ask as many residents as possible to contribute £5 or £10 each, or whatever it takes, to a fighting fund in order to try and get a legal injuction to stop this proposed carnage.

I'm happy to contribute to a fighting fund but let's see what happens at the meeting...If there's no joy then we fight on?

[MikeHobday]

The whole proposal seems clearly ridiculous. If individual trees are dangerous, certainly they should be trimmed or even cut down. But who can believe that they are all dangerous? Or that this is so urgent that they all need to go within the next two months. If the situation was that dangerous, the Council would surely have published the report about the trees.

What sort of consultation doesn't even include the evidence for people to respond to?

Mike

[jonmorris]

If it was that dangerous, they'd have closed the car parks and shut off the area right now. H&S doesn't allow you to sit around and wait for something bad to happen (which must be awful if they need to fell all the trees).

Are these trees protected in any way? Perhaps the 'safety' angle gets them chopped down, and in a year or so there's an attempt to get planning permission to change the use of the car park to something more commercial...