Hundreds of trees to be felled in park
Hundreds of trees at Mote Park will be ripped out later this year as part of a £2m scheme to save the town from flooding.
Maidstone Borough Council says they need to be felled to allow an overhaul of the park’s dam, which if it was to fail, could see more than 40 acres of land submerged under 12ft of water, putting lives and businesses at risk.
Critics have previously warned such plans will change the venue’s landscape forever, despite assurances a new tree will be planted for each one that is removed. Council leader, Cllr Martin Cox, said: “We are saddened to have to cut down trees, however the safety of residents is our top priority.”
Some 300 trees are to be cut down at one of Maidstone’s most popular attractions as part of a £2 million project to protect it from flooding.
Councillors were told the area could be at “significant risk” of being submerged if drastic action wasn’t taken.
They were previously warned that the existing defences failing and releasing water from the lake could result in three deaths and around £5 million of property damage.
As it stands heavy rainfall could cause downstream flooding towards Turkey Mill business park and into the River Len.
The council warns that if the dam were to fail, the risk posed could see the water swell rapidly over 40 acres of land, which would see Turkey Mill, Mote Park and surrounding areas under water.
With estimated depths of 12 feet this would endanger lives and damage homes and businesses, it concluded. In response, the council is preparing to start a series of works, which include refurbishing the sluice gates, increasing the capacity of the overspill of the lake, constructing a ‘wave wall’ and a short section of embankment.
The local authority says these works - which will begin in December and last around a year - will improve capacity to control the transfer of flow across the dam and ensure that the dam does not fail during extreme flood events. However, in order to do so, 300 of the attraction’s 54,000 trees will need to be removed between the park and Turkey Mill Lake - which critics have previously warned will change its landscape forever. However, none of those affected have tree protection orders, while an 1830 planted turkey oak is among those to be retained. Furthermore, 300 new trees will be planted on the perimeter of the park next month. All wood removed will remain in the park and be used to create benches, woodchip, footpaths and habitat piles. Council leader Cllr Martin Cox said: “We are saddened to have to cut down trees, however the safety of residents is our top priority.”