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Leigh On Sea News: Petition For Trees – A LEIGH resident and Green Party activist, Simon Gittus, has added his name to the growing chorus of protest over Southend City Council decision to chop down seven Ash trees in a road in Leigh.
Petition For Trees - A LEIGH resident and Green Party activist, Simon Gittus, has added his name to the growing chorus of protest over Southend City Council decision to chop down seven Ash trees in a road in Leigh.
LEIGH resident and Green Party activist, Simon Gittus, has added his name to the growing chorus of protest over Southend City Council decision to chop down seven Ash trees in a road in Leigh.
Residents in Vernon Road recently found out that their healthy roadside trees are destined for the axe because of planned pavement works, amidst claims of “ash dieback.”
With his campaign, Simon is hoping encourage the portfolio holder for the Environment, Coun Lydia Hyde, to work collaboratively and reconsider her decision.
Mr. Gittus said: “My grandparents lived in a bungalow on Vernon Road, so I have a special
connection to this street.
“As a child, I appreciated the trees and wildlife in Leigh so much that, in 2010 my partner and I decided to move back to the area ourselves.”
This campaign follows Richard Longstaff, Green councillor For Leigh, claiming the felling is excessive, and that the “ash dieback” claimed by the council is “not a justifiable reason for removal.”
Mr. Gittus suggests that a more sensible approach, that protects nature and wildlife, is to remove the trees, one-by-one, over a much longer timeframe to allow any new saplings to fully bed-in and provide much-needed tree canopy coverage for residents.
He added: “While one tree is certainly dying, he argues the rest have plenty of new growth, and are only to be cut down as they will not survive the brutal ripping up of the existing
tarmac.
“From Google Map studies five trees have already been removed on this stretch of road since 2009 and have not been replaced.
“The justification for these planned removals is insufficient, reports of Ash Dieback are not listed on their removals notices, and their removal does not conform to the Council’s own policy.
“These particular trees are not even listed on the Council’s tree removal website – I dread to think how many trees are being cut down without the public being aware of this failure of publication.
“Mature trees provide a wide range of benefits to our city, from combating pollution, providing habitats for wildlife, and even improving human mental well-being.
“With our tree canopy coverage already one of the lowest in the UK, we need to be increasing
our canopy cover, not axing entire streets.”
An online petition has been started, to which he is urging residents to add their names.
Visit: actionnetwork.org/petitions/save-leighs-trees.
Picture: Simon Gittus with one of the tress. Pic Green Party.
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