Alexandra Gardens Trees

The trees in peril in July 2021 are part of an avenue of 115-year-old plane trees that lines the park border on Carlyle Road. Two of them are now threatened with severe cutting (70% of the canopy) because of a claim by an insurance company which does not want to pay for remedial work to a house over the road. The house is displaying small plaster cracks. The insurers claim that - because the small tip of a tree root has been found on the property - the trees are to blame for the cracking by withdrawal of water from the clay soil under the house, causing drying and shrinking of the soil.

The Council proposes to cut the trees in order to comply with the insurance company's claim. Drastic cutting such as is being proposed damages trees. These are healthy, mature planes that could live another 100-150 years. They are considered "notable" trees and form a natural extension to the well-loved avenue across Jesus Green.

Here are the proposals in full: https://www.cambridge.gov.uk/media/9644/tree-work-schedule-1568.pdf.

After the cut, the trees will most likely look like this;