Families fight for ‘beautiful’ tree
HORSE CHESTNUT FACES AXE FOR NEW HOUSES
URGENT pleas are being issued by residents in a Derbyshire town to stop a developer from building on a “vital” area of green space and removing a beloved tree.
Moseley Street and Ridgedale View, in Ripley town centre, is currently a construction site with 10 homes being built by J Melrose Developments Ltd.
However, there are now plans to build an extra one-bedroom bungalow on a patch of grassland on the junction with Moseley Street, and several trees have been cut down as part of this project, along with the heavy “pollarding” of a beloved horse chestnut tree.
This bungalow scheme has not yet been decided on by Amber Valley Borough Council.
More than 90 people have signed a petition against the plans, adding that the development of the former Methodist church site in Ridgedale View has already had a major impact on already bad parking issues, with neighbours being forced to park on other streets.
Dianne White, a retired Severn Trent employee who has lived in Moseley Street for 22 years, said: “I don’t want to see another small building built there, there is already a real problem with parking on the street.
“It is a beautiful bit of greenery. The chestnut tree is so old and you used to see children come up and collect all the conkers, it is a beautiful tree.
“Squeezing in a building there doesn’t make sense, squeezing in a property anywhere you can, it shouldn’t be done that way.
“It is not going to be a family home, it is not going to have a nice garden area, it just seems unnecessary.”
Dean Keary, an admin officer who has lived in the street for eight years, said that two sycamore trees had already been cut down on Ridgedale View, and that residents have secured a temporary tree protection order on the remaining horse chestnut tree.
He said the construction work had been ongoing for several months with residents resorting to parking on surrounding streets and junctions “causing crashes”.
Mr Keary said: “We have a temporary tree protection order on the chestnut tree, but we are not sure if it will be extended and we don’t know if they had permission to cut the trees down or pollard the horse chestnut.
“As for parking, the bin lorry struggles as it is, people are parking on pavements and people with pushchairs are not able to get past.”
Sue Caulton, who has lived on the street for seven years, said: “I am absolutely devastated that they have already cut two trees down and they have pollarded another one.”
Cllr Matt Allwood, a member of Ripley Town Council, said: “Shockingly, two mature trees have already been removed and now the final tree on the site, a horse chestnut that has stood for over 100 years, is being recommended for removal as part of this plan, despite having a tree protection order on it.
“The tree has already been savagely cut back by the developer – the residents are quite rightly very angry with the plans being added in like this.”
J Melrose Developments Ltd was approached for comment, but had not responded at the time of publication.