Plympton Pathfields, The Latest News

10. March 20001 - Protected trees bulldozed on City land

Plympton Pathfields Preservation group are demanding to know why land retained by Plymouth City Council to protect trees on the development site has been bulldozed.

A 0.4 acre strip of wooded land in the centre of the site above the Long Brook stream was retained by Plymouth City Council instead of being sold off to developers as part of the land sale agreement.  The wooded section was saved on the instruction of the City's Conservation Officer in order to protect existing mature and young trees.  Since site construction work began in August 2000, trees within this land have been damaged or cut down.  Recently a large swathe of the protected land has come under the developers digger, ripping into the woodland.  "We are very concerned that the protected land is being gradually absorbed into the development as the trees are progressively cut back."

Part of the sale agreement, when the City disposed of a parcel of land adjacent to the Pathfields, required the developers to fence off the protected wooded area.  But now, the fence has been removed and the land bulldozed leaving only a narrow strip of trees by the Long Brook stream.  "Scraping back the soil may damage the roots of the remaining trees which may suffer damage and even die after the developers have moved off the site."

The Pathfields Group has alerted City Planners and the City's Conservation Officer and have asked them to inspect the site and make sure the City land is not being eroded.  Other trees due to be preserved on the site, shown on the developers plans, have also been ripped out.  The Pathfields Group have asked Beazer Homes to instruct their site contractors to abide by the planning agreement and protect the trees or replace them.

The diagram shows the development site with the protected City land in light green which has been bulldozed.  The darker narrow green band depicts what now remains of the City land.

next news item