Tree campaigners prepare for more confrontation as council goes silent

THE Stop the Chop campaign-ers whose three public pro-tests forced Cornwall Council to halt the felling of much-loved trees in their town say they are prepared for further confrontation.

- by LEE TREWHELA Local Democracy Reporter

The group says it is frustrated that though the council promised to communicate with the Falmouth community, requests for a meeting have fallen on deaf ears.

It says it fears the three healthy lime trees on Trelawney Road will still be taken down with no explanation by the council.

The protests began earlier this year after the local authority decided to fell the trees, which are 60 years old. It said they posed a “potential hazard” to residents and traffic, but has yet to specify what that hazard might be.

A two-woman protest took place in Trelawney Road in December when the felling was first proposed.

Protesters then gathered in greater force on March 17, when the council's highways contractor Cormac was due to chop down the trees.

Residents demanded to see an ecology report before the work was carried out and, after a 90-minute stand-off, police inspector Rick Milburn told the crowd there was no such report and that he had advised the council to postpone the work in order for talks to continue between all involved.

The council later said there was no legal requirement for such a report, but that ecology assessments had been carried out.

Work was due to recommence on March 26 but was again stopped by police on public safety grounds after protesters climbed two of the trees.