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Anger as tree gets the chop for Weymouth relief road (From Dorset Echo)
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Anger as tree gets the chop for Weymouth relief road
7:06am Friday 9th January 2009
OUTRAGED residents have hit out at a council for felling a 40-foot tree on the relief road route in Weymouth.
They claimed that the 30-year-old tree didn’t need to be chopped down and that they were given no warning.
The tree, which stood at the end of a grassy area in front of houses along Littlemoor Road, was cut down by Dorset County Council contractors working on the relief road.
Sue Luxford, of Littlemoor Road, said: “None of us knew it was going to happen.
“It wasn’t on the council plans and I think they kept it from everyone because they knew we would protest. There was no communication whatsoever.”
She added: “I only found out because I heard my neighbour shouting at the tree cutters. Three women have gone past here crying because the tree has gone.
“Everyone who has gone by has made a comment. Nobody knew it was going.”
Residents said they were upset because they were under the impression the tree was staying.
They claimed they would have protested to the council if they had known it was due to be chopped down.
Ian Rowden, 58, of Littlemoor Road, said: “That tree has been there about 30 years and for a number of people it was a major feature of the area.
“That tree was something important to us.
“It represented all the natural environment they’re taken away from us and now they’ve destroyed it.
“I’m very angry, I feel as though it’s us against them.”
Mr Rowden added: “I accept this relief road is coming through. It’s a major change.
“But residents had no idea this tree was coming down or we'd have protested vehemently.
“It was taken down with no opportunity for local people to protest.
“It feels as though we have no power, that we aren’t listened to.”
Mother-of-one Vicky Turner, 26, was upset at the loss of the tree as a ‘guardian’ of the area.
She said: “I want to bring my son up to respect nature and building more roads isn’t the answer to human progression.
“That tree wasn’t ready to go, it was a healthy tree and what they’ve just done is tantamount to murder. It’s really upsetting.”
Dorset County Council said that the tree was in the plans to be cut down and that the work was publicised.
Head of highways Andy Ackerman said: “The tree was in the Littlemoor gap, which is on the route of the Weymouth Relief Road, and is in the ownership of the county council.
“It was cut down as part of extensive clearance works in the Littlemoor area in preparation for the construction of the Littlemoor Road bridge.
“At the end of November, the county council publicised that before the bridge was built work would be carried out fencing off the area and clearing land in preparation for construction.”
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Your Say YourEcho
pd7, Dorset says...
7:35am Fri 9 Jan 09
Yes this road !
southtoday, Poole says...
7:44am Fri 9 Jan 09
raymanta, Weymouth says...
8:29am Fri 9 Jan 09
Fabian, Weymouth says...
10:18am Fri 9 Jan 09
Surely there is no reason why you cannot plant new trees in the area, thus improving your surroundings and teaching your children about the natural environment. Saplings are as important as more mature trees.
Obviously in this case the tree has not been cut down to manage woodland, but was it actually a native species? Littlemoor has a line of Corsican pine trees that are not actually native to this part of the world. Some non native plants can cause problems for our resident wildlife and force out native species. Perhaps these concerned locals should look at the plant postcode database (http://www.nhm.ac.u
k/nature-online/life
/plants-fungi/postco
de-plants/), find something that should be growing in the area and plant it.
Windbag, says...
11:26am Fri 9 Jan 09
maximus, Weymouth says...
11:40am Fri 9 Jan 09
Dorsetdumpling, Weymouth says...
1:00pm Fri 9 Jan 09
I'm sure that Stumpy, or whatever his name was, over at Two Mile, would also love to be given one one as a souvenir.
I'm equally sure that there would be no shortage of Echo readers willing to give him one.
(Mischief? - Moi?)
Bridders, Bridport says...
1:12pm Fri 9 Jan 09
Many more trees will be felled, like those on the Ridgeway Hairpin a few weeks back...but no complaints about those.
People knew this WAS going to happen, thats why the likes of Stumpy and his friends were occupying Two Mile Coppice, but where were these residents then ?
Will these people protest when the hedgerows across the fields are taken out to make way for the road, I doubt it very much because they will not be directly affected like they were with this solitary tree.
vlt1, Weymouth says...
1:12pm Fri 9 Jan 09
vlt1, Weymouth says...
1:21pm Fri 9 Jan 09
Fabian, Weymouth says...
1:41pm Fri 9 Jan 09
vlt1 wrote:Chippings are extremely useful and can be used in work to create paths and stop erosion. This can benefit wildlife and endangered habitats.
Dorsetdumpling, it would have been great to have been given the chance to put the wood to good use, but within minutes the tree was shredded into woodchip. If we lived in real communities these days, someone running the project may have asked locals if they had any practical use for the wood, but those running the show have their plans and even if I'd thought to ask before it got chipped, I'm fairly sure the tree would be classed as some unknown person's property.
On your previous statement; it does matter whether a tree is native or not because non natives can damage our ecosystem...just look at the trouble the red squirrel is in these days in the UK due to the introduction of greys. Same with plants and trees.
vlt1, Weymouth says...
2:06pm Fri 9 Jan 09
mikeman, Portland says...
3:05pm Fri 9 Jan 09
trymybest, WEYMOUTH says...
3:49pm Fri 9 Jan 09
staffs, weymouth says...
3:55pm Fri 9 Jan 09
How about planting a new tree? It's never been done before but we might just be able to manage it.
Bridders, Bridport says...
4:04pm Fri 9 Jan 09
Genghis, Portland says...
4:22pm Fri 9 Jan 09
mikeman wrote:How do these people survive? Do they ask every bean or grain of rice they eat whether it's OK to do so? Or do they delay eating if the potato has a pre-booked holiday in the Algarve? I'm as perplexed as you are mikeman so I'm off to see my psychiatrist for more advice/tablets.
I have never heard of such a load of bullshit,(this tree wasn't spiritually prepared to move on)should we have asked it. Perhaps if we had talked to it nicely & got to the root of the problem it would have moved on of its own accord, branched out in a different direction so to speak or perhaps its me thats barking mad.
Perhaps some of these people should start looking at the whole picture. When the road is built there will be more trees planted.
Dorsetdumpling, Weymouth says...
4:31pm Fri 9 Jan 09
I am rather more impressed by her(?)calm and measured posts than yours.
Oh - and if I ever felt the need for a belief system, as a country lad at heart, I would rather follow VLTs than some other 'Johnny come lately' Middle Eastern ones that I can think of.
Dorset Guy, Bridport says...
4:34pm Fri 9 Jan 09
jjue3, portland says...
4:59pm Fri 9 Jan 09
Fabian, Weymouth says...
6:05pm Fri 9 Jan 09
jjue3 wrote:I have to say this is exactly what I was thinking when I read this article. His grandfather's statement 'he'll never get over it'. That truly is devastating...not this nonsense about one tree.
IT'S A TREE!!! Three women walked past crying - people should get things into perspective. They should take a look at today's front page, and then read pages 4 & 5 for something to cry about. My daughter went to David's funeral, and it was absolutely heart-breaking.
F1, Weymouth says...
6:25pm Fri 9 Jan 09
And you make a fuss about one tree that has gone to meet maker and joined the bleedin' choir branch!!
Blueboy, Broadwey says...
6:38pm Fri 9 Jan 09
cub, Crossways says...
8:22pm Fri 9 Jan 09
To change the subject, I new David too. He was a lovely lad. RIP.
Genghis, Portland says...
8:30pm Fri 9 Jan 09
Dorsetdumpling wrote:Indeed and so would I rather follow an ancient religion. However today's Neo-Paganism is a 'modern' phenomenon. They may harken back to earlier Pagan times and use the stories etc but they are based on 18th and 19th Century Romance views. Today's Druids have absolutely no connection to the Druids in the history books.
A little less red meat in the diet for you I think Mikeman - my post may have been flippant, but I draw the line at pouring scorn at others' belief systems. I am rather more impressed by her(?)calm and measured posts than yours. Oh - and if I ever felt the need for a belief system, as a country lad at heart, I would rather follow VLTs than some other 'Johnny come lately' Middle Eastern ones that I can think of.
It is a purely Romantic notion that our ancestors were "noble savages" in tune with nature. Yes they had respect for things around them and saw magic in the natural things around them. But like all humans everywhere they made offerings to their Gods, chopped the trees down and cleared the land so that their families could prosper.
I much prefer my ancestors' Gods, Woden, Tiu and Thunor. But any form of worship of them would be an entirely modern invention based on guesswork of what my ancestors actually believed.
(As an aside the security words are fear-boat. That could be a good description of Naglfar, the boat of nails that the giants sail to the last battle at Ragnarok in).
dopey, says...
9:27pm Fri 9 Jan 09
Techie, Weymouth says...
1:44am Sat 10 Jan 09
cub wrote:It's a technical document and as such does make some demands on its audience, but if you feel what's in it affects you that much, you will take the time to read it.
Good to at last see Littlemoor residents showing some justified outrage at the clearance work being carried out ahead of the roads construction. I fear the estates problems are just starting however. They cleared the protest site at Lorton Lane today too, so expect lots of crowing from the pro road proles soon. Im not surprised no-one new this tree was coming down. Ive read the Environmental Statement, and like many official documents its deliberately written in language that alienates normal busy people. There is no easily accessible plan available detailing dates of work etc, just reams of proffesional jargon that tells the ordinary man nothing. That is why the protests at Twomile etc got local support, because there are obviously many who feel that this is a road to nowhere.
To change the subject, I new David too. He was a lovely lad. RIP.
I have no background in engineering or highway construction yet was able to fully read and digest the ES and understand why it was written the way it was; I don't really understand why that's so difficult.
Sammy Treadlight, Weymouth says...
8:25am Sat 10 Jan 09
Really? Am I missing something here? Is it me or is this all a bit melodramatic?
mikeman, Portland says...
9:35am Sat 10 Jan 09
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Sue Luxford, Vicky Turner with son Phoenix and Ian Rowden in front of the stump of the tree
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Sammy Treadlight, Weymouth says...
7:31am Fri 9 Jan 09
Sorry, but a tad over-dramatic maybe? Surely there are a few more important things in this World at the moment to cry about?