Trees a loss

Wellington Airport, car rental firms and the pre-eminent industry are experiencing strong growth on Miramar peninsula, and the trickle-down effect has seen some satellite industries prosper – think car groomers, and cappuccino and panini sellers.

Meanwhile, local residents, much to their dismay, are left to deal with the biblical deluge of vehicles parked asunder, from Broadway to Miramar North Rd.

I was saddened to see a mature stand of pohutukawa felled in their prime, near the Miramar Cutting, at the gateway to the peninsula coastal route.

When one thinks of an iconic image of a Kiwi landscape, a rugged coastline, grassed area with mature, sinuous pohutukawa often comes to mind. Many people once had the pleasure here of sitting under the trees’ canopy enjoying the senses of the seashore. It is a lamentable loss for the community.

It’s a pity that beautification was not considered by the developer, that some or all may have been integrated within their vision. Are areas like this justifiably a community concern?

As Joni Mitchell sang, ‘‘you don’t know what you’re got till it’s gone, they paved paradise and put up a parking lot’’.