Lombardy Poplars in Stanborough Lakes car park to be felled in September
August 4, 2008 11:31 PM
Poplars
The Lombardy poplars in Stanborough Lakes car parks are to be felled in September.
These trees grow very fast, we are told, and have a relatively short life span. They are now quite old, and are becoming unstable especially in high winds, council representatives said.
A public meeting will be held at Stanborough Lakes at 6.30pm on Thursday August 7th 2008 (meet in the South (Water sports) Car Park) so that you can see the issue first hand and talk through the proposals for replanting with Finesse Leisure and representatives from the Council. Finesse Leisure are responsible for the trees.
This move has brought criticism from the Welwyn Garden City Society, who ask whether there is any way that the felling of the trees could be staged gradually, according to an article in the Welwyn Hatfield Times, to prevent the car parks from becoming barren and derelict. The trees also act as a noise barrier, softening the deafening roar from the motorway. The poplars are also part of the iconic image of Welwyn Garden City.
Tree experts say that gradual thinning would not be a good idea, as the thinning or removal of some trees would mean that the remaining trees would be even more vulnerable to wind damage. This might have been an option 15 years ago, but the trees are now becoming too old and unstable for this option to work now, they say. Options such as cutting off the trees near the top are likely to cause damage to the trees which could then rot at the point where they are cut, becoming even weaker. This has already been previously done in the South car park as an interim measure. These trees now need felling for safety reasons, we are being told.
The Liberal Democrats are left wondering why the situation has been so grossly mismanaged by the council, who seem to have shifted the blame from one department to another, leaving the car park vulnerable and damaging the town's image.
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