A council planning to cut down 22 trees in a London park is doing so to make organizing events easier, critics claim.
Lambeth Council says trees in Brockwell Park in south London are dead or dying and need to be cut down to reduce the risk of them falling on people.
A further 22 trees in the park, identified as having a stable trunk, will be addressed to make them safe, but remain a habitat for wildlife.
Any trees with breeding birds will be fenced off and work will be postponed until autumn, when the breeding season ends.
The park is home to the Lambeth Country Show and music festivals including Wide Awake and Mighty Hoopla.
Residents objecting to the plan have launched a petition, saying the hijackings are “timed to facilitate ticketed summer events”.
In an open letter, opponents of the plan said they first heard of the proposals last week and their reaction is “one of shock”.
The letter reads: “No formal consultation has taken place, no proper notice has been given and to our knowledge no full survey of these trees has been carried out – this was not on anyone's radar.
“This rapid decision-making process, especially during the breeding season, is alarming and requires re-evaluation.”
They said some of the living trees have few “obvious” defects, while others with more serious problems can be addressed with restoration work.
There are some trees that “need to be removed for safety,” they admitted.
The letter further states: “It is not legal to fell trees used for nesting.
“While this may be mitigated by the need for unavoidable public safety considerations, we do not believe these are sufficiently justified, nor that alternatives such as fenced exclusion zones have been considered.”
Critics have called for a moratorium on works until the decision has been invoked and fully justified.
This justification should explain what other options have been considered.