Tree felling 'paused' after residents object

Plans to cut down 19 trees on a Cumbrian street over safety concerns have been "paused" amid objections by residents.

Westmorland and Furness Council said some of the trees at Barrow's Infields Park had caused flagstones to rise, posing a risk to pedestrians.

Residents were left "upset" and "disgusted" over the proposals, saying the area would not look the same while also raising worries over loss of habitat for wildlife.

The council now says it will organise a public meeting to discuss the issues with temporary signage to be put in place to warn of the potential danger to people on foot.

Residents received a letter from the local authority on 6 March informing them of the proposed felling, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Joanne Fitzsimmons is among those to have expressed shock, saying people had been given "13 days' notice that every tree on the cul-de sac was going to be chopped down".

She added she had felt "devastation because it is a leafy street and that’s what attracts you to it in the first place when you buy the house".

“The trees, apart from the little one, are as old as the houses, which I think were built in 1904 so 120-year-old trees that are established and mature.

“It’s so sad because I like history as well. The houses are Victorian and in keeping with that time the trees match the houses and it won’t look the same without the trees.”

The council had said the footway and kerbs had "lifted in various places due to root heave from the trees" and that any effort to carry out repairs would "require excavation of the footway surface".

The trees would be replaced, it explained.

However, a spokesperson has now said: “Following concerns raised by the public, we acknowledge this has caused upset and as a result the planned works are being paused.

“We appreciate the value that trees hold both for our environment and our communities, and recognise more discussion needs to take place with consideration of all the available options."

Additional reporting by Dan Hunt, Local Democracy Reporter.

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