Stop Cutting Down Our Trees
| Author: Matthew Myatt | Published: 23rd May 2008 00:21 |
SID the Sycamore Tree. (Copyright Matthew Myatt)
At a time when companies and organisations are trying prove their green credentials, including our very own Lib Dem controlled council, I find it incredible that while we are told that we must recycle our plastic, cardboard and other items such as batteries and glass for the benefit, we are told, of our local environment, Eastleigh Borough Council appear to have a hidden agenda when it comes to all things green. EBC state at every possible opportunity that is wishes to be carbon neutral by the year 2012, which is a target I applaud, yet despite this brave stance they have in recent years in fact increased carbon pollution dramatically by destroying numerous trees within the SO50 area.
One such example is the recent illegal feeling of ‘SID' the Sycamore tree on the Recreation Ground in Leigh Road, which was planted in 1936 by the council as part of the celebrations of Eastleigh becoming a borough, yet 72 years on this tree was murdered in a deplorable manner last Easter Monday at 6.30 in the morning despite a high court appeal application which was in process to protect this tree from the councils chainsaws, together with a raft of public support to save this historic tree from people all over the world thanks in part to local campaigners and a high profile website and worldwide media coverage. SID was in fact the property of the residents of Eastleigh, planted on the recreation ground which is the property of Eastleigh residents and given to them for recreation use under charter, further more the tree and the recreation ground is ‘protected urban green space' which forbids the land from being used for building development under the councils own rules. (Policy 58.BE)
The loss alone of this one tree, which soaked up 1.33 tons of harmful carbon dioxide gas (CO2) from the local area, and was in the words of the councils own Tree Protection Officer, ‘a tree of high amenity value, in good health and with at least 80 years of growth remaining', yet this seems to hold little merit with our council. Sadly the people that will be most affected by SID's removal are elderly residents who live directly opposite the recreation ground and who's homes front onto the A335 Romsey Road, one of Eastleigh's busy lorry routes leaving Tower Industrial Estate on their way to join junction 13 of the M3 and M27 motorways. As a result the poisonous gases produced by these large vehicles, which include Carbon Dioxide (CO2) and Carbon Monoxide (CO) will no longer have the benefit of being absorbed by SID and as such will remain in the general area and consequently reduce the quality of air directly for these residents, some of which suffer with respiratory illnesses.
So why was SID removed? We are informed by EBC that the tree had to be felled to make way for a 3.3 million pound, council tax funded extension to ‘The Point' dance centre, to facilitate the building of a third dance studio which will incorporate three self-contained two bedroom flats for visiting dancers. However under local housing policy, these flats will only be allowed to be occupied for a maximum of 20 weeks a year, thus leaving them empty for seven months in every year. A situation that defies believe to any of the 5000 residents waiting on the councils Homechoice register for up four years for basic accommodation in our area.
If this reduction in air quality and theft of public land in the town centre was not enough, further carbon pollution to the SO50 area is on its way. Fair Oak and Bishopstoke local area council committee have just approved a planning application for a new housing development on the formal Mount hospital site, which will require the felling of 102 mature trees as well as an ancient orchard to make way for these homes, with a small fraction of these homes being given over to social housing. The felling of these trees will see a enormous surge in the lack of carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide absorption from gases produced by low flying aircraft as they pass directly over this area which is part of the flight path to and from Southampton International Airport and will increase these harmful gases by a staggering 135.66 tons of poisonous fumes a year, that will with the prevailing wind, flow right into the heart of the town centre, further degraded the quality of air for town centre residents which at times far exceeds government recommendations for air quality in this area.
However, all is not doom and gloom. In the run up to the May elections, re-elected Councillors Davis-Dear (Lib Dem), stated that the council plan to plant 30 new young trees in and around the Central and South wards of the SO50 area, so fear not, our children and elderly residents lungs will not suffer as a result of these increased harmful gases that will not be soaked up by the loss of these trees.
Unfortunately these 30 new immature trees will take 324 years to reach the same level of absorption as the ones they will be cutting down, so the future looks bright for our health and environment, well maybe for our great great grandchildren anyway..
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