Residents shocked after trees chopped down

Ted Peskett Local Democracy Reporter

People living on a residential street say they are in shock after mature trees which had been there for years were cut down by the local council.

Cardiff Council said trees on New Road in Rumney were recently felled because they had a disease called bacterial canker.

The local authority also said the trees were in decline and a risk to public safety.

“Shock”

However, some residents expressed their disappointment over the felling of the trees, many of which had been there for years.

Maggie Suller, who has lived on New Road for 13 years said it was a “shock” when the trees started being brought down.

Maggie, 58, said: “It spoils the whole feel of the street. Aesthetically, it just looks so drab.”

She went on to add: “Lately, I think the last two to three weeks, a whole host of them have been hacked down.”

Steve Brion, who lives on a street just off New Road called Northlands, said he wasn’t been informed about the tree felling before it took place.

“To a certain degree, it is wanton destruction,” said the 68-year-old.

“All of these trees are long standing so it would be nice to see them replaced because it is the overall appearance of the road.”

Other trees on the street were cut down because they had been damaged in a recent storm and were deemed unsafe.

Agreement

One resident who did not wish to be named said the council was right to bring the trees down.

She said: “They have caused a lot of problems. If you walk down the road, the pavements are all buckled and all higgledy piggledy.

“It was beautiful when [the trees] all used to meet in the middle… but all this resin used to go on to your car.

“They were very diseased and every time there was a storm, the branches [were] always being blown into the road. It was dangerous.”

Cardiff Council replaced a number of trees it cut down along New Road in the past with new saplings.

The council also said all remaining stumps along the road will be ground out and all of the removed trees will be replaced this year.

“A shame”

Another resident called David, who has been living on New Road for 40 years, said the trees that were cut down were in “such a bad state”.

He added: “Hopefully they will be planting something new in the near future.

“At least they are waiting until they are needed to be taken down and then they are replacing them.”

One resident said: “It just looks dead to us because we have been so used to seeing what we have for the past 30 years.

“I must be honest, when we had really bad weather a couple of the bigger branches were on the road. They could have fallen on somebody.”

Sue Adams, 56, also said she remembers branches having to be cleared from the road after strong storms.

“From my perspective it is a shame because it is a tree-lined road,” she said.

“But I suppose for safety sake there may be a reason they have done it.

“In summer these trees are lovely. They do make a difference. It just seems like each year more are being lopped down.”