‘Wanton destruction’ of trees at housing site
ABBEY FIELDS RESIDENTS SAY FELLING IS ‘UNNECESSARY’ AND ‘DISTRESSING’
As a green habitat for birds and small mammals they are extremely valuable
Geoff Charrot, Abbey Fields resident
A COUPLE living at a new housing estate in Hucknall were stunned when workers arrived with chainsaws and started chopping down trees and vegetation “quite unnecessarily”.
The workers arrived at the Abbey Fields estate a few weeks ago as work progressed on the development’s second phase.
But resident Geoff Charrot, 74, described the work as “wanton destruction” and said he was concerned by the volume of trees being cut down.
“It’s the fact that they chopped this down quite unnecessarily,” he said. “There’s no need to cut all these trees down.”
He and his wife Liz live in a house built under the first wave of new houses at the development off Nottingham Road.
They have been in Hucknall since 2016.
Retired Mr Charrot, who used to work in banking, said the greenery was popular with birds and wildlife.
And he questioned whether some trees were being removed on land part of the first phase of the development, rather than the second.
“The trees aren’t valuable as such other than they are green, they’re used by birds and small mammals – they’re lovely to have around.
“And some of them being chopped down appear to be on phase one – not phase two,” said Mr Charrot.
“As a green habitat for birds and small mammals they are extremely valuable.”
Developer Bellway said the trees being felled on the site relate only to those within the boundary of the phase two work.
Mr Charrot said he was concerned that new trees, which will be planted under the planning permission for the development, might not actually be rooted on site.
He said: “We’re not entirely convinced that all the replanting which they say they’re going to do will actually affect the Abbey Fields site.
“Because what they said was they would be planting in this and other areas within the Ashfield district.”
And he added it would be a “considerable number of years before new planting gives the same level of carbon capture as the trees they are replacing”.
Mr Charrot also said that there had been a “tremendous amount of dust” because of the construction work taking place – and that he was concerned about mud on the roads. “It does not seem that the wheel-washing facilities required by the council have been in constant use,” he added.
Mrs Charrot, 79, a retired secretary, said: “We are both very fond of the wildlife. We have been watching the birds coming in and out of things.
“The trees are really [providing] favourable perching points.
“They stop there and have a look then they come into our garden usually and other gardens. So it’s that kind of thing really. The fact they have pretty much sculpted the area was very distressing to see.”
A spokesman for Bellway said: “As part of the remedial works required at ground level for the construction of the second phase at Abbey Fields, Bellway has removed some trees in-line with the planning consent as agreed with Ashfield District Council.
“The development will include a public open space with extensive landscaping as agreed with the council.
“However, as a gesture of goodwill, Bellway has also put forward a proposal to the local authority to deliver additional landscaping within the public open space over and above planning requirements, to compensate for the removal of trees which is necessary to complete the work on site.”
The first phase of the Bellway development was to build 141 houses and this has been completed.
The second phase has planning permission for more than 200 homes.
It comes after a doctor on the estate spoke out about loud construction work.