Council destroy local woodland to prove their commitment to the environment
Amelia Jones
Residents say they were blindsided by the large-scale felling of trees carried out to accommodate a council-backed butterfly planting scheme.
The £20,000 project prompted concerns last week when chainsaw crews arrived at the woodland surrounding The Wilderness Lake in Porthcawl.
Several residents said they were unaware any work had been approved and were alarmed by the scale of tree removal.
The butterfly garden was one of seven projects led by local town and community councils as part of Bridgend Council Cabinet’s Town and Community Capital Grant scheme.
One resident, who asked to remain anonymous, said the community had been led to believe the work would involve only light canopy clearing and the planting of butterfly-friendly species.
“We were told they’d just clear a bit of ivy and let more light in,” they said. “But instead a load of people with chainsaws turned up and chopped down trees — even ones not marked on the plans.”
The resident said a site foreman showed them the plans and expressed concern that the project had been poorly communicated to the public.
According to the foreman’s account, the scheme was being directed largely by an architect’s plans.
Porthcawl town councillor Brian Jones said he was not aware of the scale of tree felling and questioned whether other councillors were fully informed. “I was not aware of that, no, and I don’t believe all councillors are aware of that,” he said.
While the council’s website notes that Griffin Park is being developed in consultation with a biodiversity officer to “create a green space that will serve as a habitat for a wide variety of plants and animal species.”
Cllr Jones argued that the tree removal undermined these goals. “They could have trimmed the canopy to let more light through,” he said. “They should never destroy a habitat just to try and replace it with another. That’s not how biodiversity works.”
He questioned the location of the butterfly garden, saying it would have been better placed in Griffin Park, where unused flower beds receive full sunlight.
Residents also questioned the lack of public consultation. They said there was no information notice or contact details available at the site, and it all seemed very ‘hush-hush.’
The architect just turned up and said, ‘Cut down this one, cut down that one, and coppice this hazel at one metre height,’ which is bizarre because he’s not a qualified tree surgeon,” one added.
Cllr Jones echoed these concerns: “The trees removed were healthy and undiseased, and who knows if there was any hibernating mammals around the bases of those trees. Has anybody checked?”
When approached for comment, Councillor Elen Jones, speaking on behalf of Porthcawl Town Council, said the concerns will be addressed at the council’s next meeting.
Shortly after this reply, photos circulated in a local group chat showing stump grinders at work, ensuring these trees would not regrow. It was captioned: “All the birds that used to sing here have gone.”
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Catastrophic mistakes like this are not unique to Porthcawl. Projects that destroy one habitat in order to replace it with another achieves nothing. Hopefully a new government from next May will place an obligation upon local authorities to develop a better informed bio-diversity plan. No more planting trees on wildflower pastures. No more felling trees for butterflies. No more mowers replacing grazing livestock. Need to work with nature not batter it.
Brychan, this is Bridgend County Borough renowned for its lack of joined up thinking, or any thinking at all! This is the kind of blinkered stupidity that manifests itself at Senedd level where the ruling Labour regime gave the go ahead to the destruction of upland peatlands as part of their wind turbine fixation and followed up with a funded initiative to restore peatlands elsewhere. Like watching spoilt kids trashing stuff just for the fun of it. I think it used to be called vandalism.
Councils would consult with residents more often if residents engaged with the process constructively and in good faith. Too often these exercises are hijacked by radicalised boomers with nothing better to do than trash the hopes and dreams of young people.
This is the council that cuts back verges to the bone if a flower dares to open including orchids and removes established trees because local councillor thinks it look bad. All for creating the right space for wildlife but Bridgend CC has form of removing habitat because someone complained it looks untidy (probably someone with plastic grass). Watching mowers running up verges removing the wild flowers that bees and butterflies rely on, then the next few hours seeing thousands of insects looking for the flowers that were there. Then digging up flower beds with established pollinator flowers to plant other… Read more »