Cherries will be preserved!
TREES THREATENED BY SHERWOOD LIBRARY REDEVELOPMENT ARE SAVED FROM THE AXE
It’s fantastic news about the cherry trees, so thanks to the organisers of the petition for promoting the issue
Dave Smith
RESIDENTS in Sherwood have welcomed decisions to keep “irreplaceable” cherry trees from being lost as part of a large development.
Plans to rebuild Sherwood Library from scratch and add in retail units and flats above were revealed last year, and have now been approved by the planning committee.
The Spondon Street site, owned by Nottingham City Council, was described as being in a poor state and no longer meeting the standards expected by library users.
The proposals also included the development of 12 houses, 22 flats and a public car park in the surrounding area.
In December, Hockley Developments were named the contractor for the scheme, and have now been given the green light to move forward.
But concerns were raised about the future of the cherry trees around the development, as it appeared they may not be protected.
A online petition set up by Sherwood resident Rob Mackinder, 39, said the trees “represent our cultural heritage and are irreplaceable”.
Mr Mackinder, a baker at Tied up in Notts, said at the time: “I’m totally behind breathing new life into Sherwood Library, but what is a library without trees?”
Hockley Developments has now explained that work has been done since the original planning submission to ensure the majority of trees will be saved. And only trees that are in poor condition or damaged will be felled.
A spokesperson for Hockley Developments, said: “We have taken the advice of the specialists and have revised the site layout to position the Spondon Street houses further away from trees T30-T37, which bound Mansfield Street.
“This will see 50 percent of the total number of cherry trees retained on site in their existing locations.
“The remaining 50 percent of cherry trees are located on Spondon Street. We are looking to preserve all of these trees by moving them outside of the works area.
“The construction to this side of the road is not expected to be carried out for quite some time. During this period, we will have specialists survey the trees with the intention of relocating them to more suitable planting locations across the scheme.
“Seven out of the nine cherry trees to be relocated are intended to be replanted along Spondon Street.
“The other two cherry trees are to be relocated to the soft landscaped area to the rear of the library which is being designed in accordance with the biodiversity officers’ comments to support local wildlife foraging and habitat potential.
“Relocating these remaining trees will ensure their longevity and protection for their lifetime.” Resident Alex Kuster, 27, said: “The trees are a beautiful part of my daily life living just off Mansfield Street. “If it’s set in stone that they’re keeping the trees then that’s great news. After all, they can’t claim to be building a bunch of eco houses then rip down loads of trees contributing to the environment.”
Dave Smith, of Mansfield Street, said: “It’s fantastic news about the cherry trees so thanks to the organisers of the petition for promoting the issue.
“On the negative side, as local residents there are other issues we’re still concerned about as we’re losing the car park so the planned residential units and retail will put a lot more pressure on parking in the area and we’re losing an open space.”
Sarita D’souza, also of Mansfield Street, said: “I have always loved the trees when they put their spring show on and was saddened to hear they were going to be cut down.
“If they are being preserved, it certainly is great news.”