Bristol City Council has announced today that the row of 30 ageing Poplar trees on the former Imperial Sports Ground at Knowle are to be removed.
The council attempted to chop the trees down last week but protests from local residents prevented them.
The council now say:
A row of 30 ageing Poplar trees on the former Imperial Sports Ground at Knowle will sadly need to be removed urgently and replaced for public safety reasons, the city council has concluded today (Thursday, August 16th 2007) after receiving an independent report from specialist arboricultural contractors.
This is disputed by residents. The Blogger predicts a row.
Update: Residents aren’t disputing that the trees are unsafe. However Vowles the Green is pointing the finger of blame for making the trees unsafe firmly at Bristol City Council and their private developers for the site. Cock-up or conspiracy?
There might be some residents still thinking that the trees are safe, or at least some of them. I think Dennis Stuckey is thinking of paying for the trees to be inspected again.
I’ve heard the council on the radio saying they aren’t to blame but its the words in the independent contractor Silvanus Services report on the city website that arms people to point the finger at the council.
I see from todays Evening Post that there will be an inquiry into the way the council maintained these trees…It will be headed by Knowle Lib Dem Cllr Gary Hopkins, who when I spoke to him yesterday shared my analysis of the situation. It does not look good for the council – I think he will take no prisoners on this one.
Do you believe in Father Xmas, the stork & the tooth fairy as well…. wasn’t Hopkins a LibDem cabinet member up to 3 months ago, and so shares responsibility for how the council runs ….. bet he won’t take himself or an other LibDems prisoner…
You have a point. He and the Lib Dems must take a share of responsibility for the problem as they were in charge until recently. However, other parties have spent more time running Bristol and are now in charge. Officers may also come under fire.