2021 - Timeline for tree cutting

Original plans to begin the cutting of one tree first on 27/7/21 were delayed by the action of local people who gathered in the Gardens in the early morning to protest. Council Tree Officers decided that proceeding with the cutting by contractors was impossible to do safely, so the contractors were stood down. Another gathering the following morning emphasized local feeling.

The original plan for cutting was set out in the Decision document by Cllr Collis. It stated:

"Key timescales considerations There are key timescales of significance and these could be impacted by any decision and these are set out below: · 12pm Monday 26th July – if a decision has not been made the contractors will be asked to stand down and reschedule the operation*, and insurers informed**. · Tuesday 27th July – reduction works over the road to T58.2

· Wednesday 28th July – reduction works over the park to T58.2

*The operation will take between 2-4 weeks to reschedule and involves booking equipment, suspending parking bays and rearranging the contractor’s diary. The earliest the rescheduled work could happen is the w/c 9th August and the latest is the w/c24th August.

** Delaying mitigation beyond the end of July may not be acceptable to the insurers who may move to stabilise their client’s property by underpinning."

As the Decision document points out...

"Delay the decision may have the following implications: Contractors would need between 2-4 weeks to reorganise the work. The insurers may move to underpin to prevent another cycle of damage occurring to their client’s property within this timeframe."