Failure to protect our lovely green heritage

THE decision by Cardiff council to give CPS Homes/Quin & Co planning permission to develop Suffolk House in Canton has caused irreparable damage to the Conservation Area and hurt the community deeply.

In a period of about one hour, an ecologist inspecting the trees prior to felling noted 20 different species of bird in their branches – now this ecological paradise has been destroyed for ever.

Legislation exists for the protection of natural and human habitat – Section 6 of the

Environment Wales 2016 Act, Planning Policy Wales 10, the Well-Being of Future Generations Act. Sadly, paper guarantees are meaningless unless they are enforced on the ground.

Independent professional advice received by Cardiff Civic Society clarified that the trees were not a danger to the public, and that they could have been saved. Despite repeated pleas to do so, CPS Homes/ Quin & Co refused to countenance the idea.

A courageous member of Extinction Rebellion perched high in the magnificent copper beech to try to prevent felling last Sunday.

In the final, bitter moments towards dusk, the contractors proceeded to fell the tree with its occupant in place.

Our adviser suggests that there might well be grounds for prosecution under health and safety legislation.

The woeful catalogue of events leading to the felling of the trees at Suffolk House is a stain upon those who govern us.

Not least because mature trees are our frontline defence against the effects of climate change, the Welsh Government and Cardiff council must focus on providing maximum protection for our green heritage.

In failing to do so, both these elected institutions need to realise that they are out of step with public opinion.

Nerys Lloyd-Pierce Chair, Cardiff Civic Society