More blighted trees are to be felled by Brighton and Hove City Council, with forestry contractors due to start work next week.
The council said: “Urgent work to remove dead and diseased ash trees in Coldean Woods is due to begin on Monday (19 January).
“The work, to manage ash dieback in the woods, will also coincide with preparations for a footpath improvement project which will improve the right of way from Coldean into Stanmer Park.
“The footpath project is being funded with a grant from the South Downs National Park Authority.
“Many of the trees bordering the footpath, which runs from opposite the Ruby pub up the hill to the A27 bypass lower bridge, are suffering with ash dieback disease and must be removed before the improvement work can begin.
“Felling will be carried out by experienced forestry contractors using specialist heavy machinery.
“Some non-ash native species may be removed as part of the work but this will only be done for infection control or safety reasons.
“The tree felling, along with the footpath improvement work, means two sections of footpath will close for around seven to eight weeks, starting from Monday (19 January) and we apologise for any inconvenience this may cause.
“Signs will be put up and, while work is carried out, walkers can use the alternative footpath beside Denman Close over the upper A27 footbridge or walk along the park frontage beside A270, Lewes Road and Stoneymere Way.”
Labour councillor Alan Robins, the council’s cabinet member responsible for parks, said: “We understand that any tree removal can be upsetting for residents but these dead and infected trees need to be removed.
“The good news is that once the tree felling has been completed, we can move forward with work to improve this well-used footpath which will benefit local people and park users.
“We will be working closely on site with expert ecologists to minimise any potential disturbance to protected species like badgers, nesting birds or roosting bats and will use this opportunity to develop the wood over time with a wider range of species, creating a more diverse habitat.”
He added that, where possible, tree trunks and stumps will be left on site to create valuable habitats for wildlife.
The council said: “Once the tree work has been completed, footpath improvement work will begin. This will include installing a grid system with an overlay of stone and grit to improve access and create a safer and less slippery surface, particularly during wet weather.
“If you need more information, have any concerns or need any extra support during the work, please contact cityparks@brighton-hove.gov.uk or call 01273 294349 during office hours, from 9:30am to 5pm, Monday to Friday.”
Have the council got a felling licence this time. Last year they were reported to the Forestry Commission because the “emergency” felling work they did at Hollingbury woods didn’t have the permissions the council should have had in place.
So in reality they are felling trees to make way for a footpath? I do hope the sick trees are all in convenient places and they don’t have to cut any healthy ones down.
Can they please use tree surgeons that actually know what they are doing. The council and their tree hackers have decimated Stanmer Woods. Unforgivable vandalism.
Please grow up you people, this work needs to be done and the sooner it is so the sooner replanting can begin.
If the Forestry Commission found the council to be in the wrong last year, I don’t think it’s wrong at all for residents to query whether the council has the right legal permissions in place this year.
Of course councils need to fell disease trees, but last year they felled loads of healthy ones too and left Hollingbury Woods in an awful state. Along with the council allowing hundreds of newly planted saplings to die at Hove Beach Park last year, they don’t have a good record on tree or woodland care.
I don’t think the Hove Beach Park was the councils fault and I presume that will be replanted. It’s because of all these complaints that the replanting is held up. The council have a good record especially with Dutch Elm Disease.
Agree on dutch elm disease, but the continued success story there is down to some really dedicated individuals like the amazing and knowledgeable Peter Bourne who assists them with research and is passionate on the issue dedicating a lot of time and effort. When the council listen to community knowledge and draw on experience of dedicated individuals and community groups and volunteers they can do well, when they ignore them and plough on with plans without community dialogue and engagement, they sometimes cause harm.
The Hove Beach Park tree fiasco was simply down to the council whichever way you look at it, as they failed to ensure they watered the newly planted saplings which is why they died. Or by failing to instruct any contractor they used to water them or monitor whether they were or not doing it. Even if they are replanted, what a waste of money and it’s not OK that saplings died from neglect on council land in the first place.
Can they please use tree surgeons that actually know what they are doing. The council and their tree hackers have decimated Stanmer Woods. Unforgivable vandalism.
I agree the council should have taken a pro-active role at the Hove Beach Park. The planting of hundreds of trees, then not watering them through a very dry spring was extremely short sighted. The council use contractors for their tree felling and not sure they are hackers. If you go into any woodland there are parts at times that look devastated. This is to prepare for replacing. Woodland management is a long-term project.
Ps. Sadly I cannot see Stanmer Woods being successfully replanted as people are more concerned about grey squirrels ( vermin, tree rats) than about protecting newly planted
trees…..
Using outside contractors without proper Council oversight is bound to be a recipe for disaster. Where is the council supervision and accountability? They should also be ensuring that proper permissions and felling licences are in place before allowing contractors to start. And where can the public find the Health and Safety risk assessments for each job? All paperwork should be publicly viewable. Perhaps in a city of climate emergency every tree should have a TPO placed on it which only a certificate of disease can override for felling purposes.
All lies, just felling trees too take the land and build more unsightly flats on.
UK councils often cut down trees to mitigate risks and prevent legal issues (litigation) from damage, especially when trees pose a threat to property or people, but they must follow strict procedures, balancing safety with preserving trees, and usually only act for legally actionable nuisances like touching buildings, not just size. They handle council-owned trees for safety but don’t prune private trees, even if overhanging, unless it’s a highway issue, while private owners must get permission for protected trees