Hundreds of trees may go for work to protect city from flooding risk

OFFICIALS PLAN FOR WORST CASE SCENARIO BUT POLLARDING WILL SAVE SOME

- By ZENA HAWLEY

UP to 205 mature trees could be removed during flood defence work in Derby city centre.

Preliminary work is due to start on the second phase, known as Derby Riverside, of the £95million Our City, Our River (OCOR) flood defence scheme and will largely involve land clearance.

The city council says that tree removal is unavoidable where trees would obstruct the flow of water in a flood event, or where roots would be damaged due to the location of the wall that is due to be built.

It has also said it has worked extensively with its arboriculturalists to keep the number of trees removed to a minimum.

The plans approved by committee give permission for a total of around 205 trees to be removed but the council says this is the worst-case scenario, and the aim is to keep as many as possible. Some will be pollarded where this is a better solution, meaning their top branches will be removed to the trunk, which will encourage regrowth.