Residents appalled by sudden removal of four trees

Residents of an urban street say they are appalled after four mature rowan trees were removed by the council without warning.

Maureen Allen, who has lived on Edward Street in Luton for nearly 20 years, said residents were not notified of the plans.

"We all got home from work to discover that the trees had gone," she said.

Luton Borough Council has apologised "for the distress the removal of the trees has caused" and said replacement trees would be planted in the autumn.

Labour councillors for High Town, Umme Ali and James Taylor, said in a joint statement: "The way this whole project has been managed has been littered with failures."

Taylor told the BBC he had asked the council to discuss plans for a number of wooden planters in the area, which had become shabby.

He said instead of collaborating with him and community groups, the council removed wooden planks around the four rowan trees using a digger.

"They should have dug them out by a much gentler method, instead of using a digger, which we think has probably damaged the roots of the tree," he added.

Taylor said he was told the trees were "unsafe" and would need removing, but despite asking for sufficient notice, he only received an email the night before they were cut down.

In a statement, the council said the works "were originally intended to remove deteriorated railway sleepers while retaining the existing trees".

"However, once the sleepers were removed, previously hidden damage to the surrounding trees and shrubbery, including irreversible damage to the roots and changes in ground levels, became apparent."

Following a tree inspection, it was concluded "they could not be safely retained".

"We recognise that this should have been communicated clearly to residents and ward councillors at the time, and we apologise that this did not happen," they added.

The spokesperson explained the sleepers could not be removed by hand because they were buried at least 700mm (28in) and were encased in concrete.

Taylor and Ali added: "What should have been a positive attempt to renew the old planters has actively made the street scene worse through mismanagement, a lack of planning and shoddy execution."

Allen said removing the trees had dramatically changed the street's appearance.

"It just looks bare. We're so used to seeing our trees and appreciating them," she said.

"We need as many trees as we can get and just to take them away, in the way that it was done, was absolutely appalling."

Konni Deppe co-leads Edible High Town, which runs a community garden on Edward Street.

She said the rowans had been "healthy, very easy to look after – they were much loved by everyone walking past".

She questioned the council's conclusion, saying: "There are very, very few street trees in High Town. I have almost no words to describe how sad I am about it, and how powerless I feel.

"At the same time, we need to move on and find a good way forward to bring some trees back into that space."

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