[Discuss] Fwd: Special Meeting on Thursday to discuss tree planting plans on Jesus Green and Midsummer Common

Sat Sep 25 15:21:08 BST 2010

I think this native species argument is specious .  Many of the trees we
admire are not native. Horse chestnuts for instance were I introduced only
in the last century, around the same time as Leylandii.There is a very good
reason to have dense conifers around the swimming pool as swimmers appear to
agree . They are a windbreak , provide privacy and a sound barrier against
the skatepark. Reduce them yes but if you get rid of them, the whole pool
will be exposed for ages. These trees can be readily trimmed and reduced by
a half if need be, why kill them?

The conifers at the corner of  Park Parade are to be axed. Why? They provide
shade for players ( I play there and they¹re very welcome) a screen against
those over-high flats behind and smell nice. They are green and peaceful and
alive and flourishing despite one of them losing a branch. The judgement of
Ms. Oviatt Hamm that they are Œ ill formed¹ is just the kind of aesthetic no
one wants. She has decided on limes for that corner . That¹s a mistake
because 
1. they won¹t be big enough for decades to cover the brick backdrop
2. they drop secretions on the tennis courts

She assured us at the meeting that regular clean ups would be instituted.
Are you confident that this will happen? And why remove healthy trees even
if they¹re not a fashionable ? People in the past put them there and thought
they evenutally would look nice. They do. We are being brainwashed into
thinking of them as unwelcome intruders and a Œmistake¹¹ . If they provide a
green screen, provide a function are not interfering with anyone and
flourishing why is no one standing up for them? I think it will be a
wasteful shame to chop them down, and indeed those around the swimming pool
which could be managed much more cheaply  however strangely money doesn¹t
seem to come into this as they have £50K to Œspend¹and no one wanted their
grandiose chop and plant schemes so they¹ve left taking it out on the poor
old conifers. I say no.

On 25/9/10 14:35, "CONSTABLE PETER" <p.constable at ntlworld.com> wrote:

> Slight correction. Trees at swimming pool are not to be 'chopped".
> Consultation referred to leylandii hedge and proposal is "to plant to
> the front,bulking up the hedge with a native specie
> hedge, followed by a phased removal of the leylandii" (presumably
> after the new one provides cover).  Hope this helps.
> Peter
> ---------- Forwarded message ----------
> From: Joanna Gordon Clark <skyclarker at yahoo.co.uk>
> Date: 24 September 2010 18:25
> Subject: Re: [Discuss] Special Meeting on Thursday to discuss tree
> planting plans on Jesus Green and Midsummer Common
> To: SOS Cambridge discussion list <discuss at soscambridge.org.uk>
> 
> 
> Adding my name and voice to your list.  Can't believe they are gong to
> chop the swimming pool trees, yes it is absolute madness.  Uniformity
> is not wanted and healthy trees must not be chopped.  The plane trees
> in Alexandra Gardens must not be felled, I think the argumetns against
> prevail entirely.
> 
> Do we know what the cost of the work to the man in Holland St. 's
> house would be?  I mean, I do have sympathy with anyone whose house
> and perhaps huge investment is suffering from soil movement - but we
> don't have to agree to chop trees.  We can: either give the council
> enough arguments to fight off the houseowners' insurers, by makign it
> clear that the trees cannot be blamed for this, sicne they have
> co-existed with the houses for 100years at least,but the clay can be
> and that other factors,- climate, water mains bursting and brick pit
> behaviour - will very certainly ahve influenced the soil movement.
> That being the case, no tree can be found guilty.
> We need a 'beyond all reasonable doubt' for the trees.
> 
> Could we agree that the Alexandra Gardens trees should simply not be
> felled, and other solutions found, including, as I think, that we find
> sources of funding to pay for the work to the house if the council
> refuses to play ball, and that no trees on Midsummer common or Jesus
> Green be felled for purely aesthetic reasons as present by teh council
> .  I cannot believe that we are being ignored by the council.
> Ok I hardly ever get to email and it is wonderful to find you all out
> there saying and doing things, my phone os 07847922023, and I would
> like to see a petition or a lshort letter sent out to all people in
> Cambridge at least, about the Alexandra Gardens trees, - this because
> of the time factor and they being so precious to so many locally.
> 
> I am horrified to find out about the Jesus Green etc. plans, and
> wonder what we can do to stop them, only I have to focus right now on
> the Gardens. I live on Vicotria Road, 103, in fact, and am so happy to
> hear all you people being tree defenders.
> 
> I suspect that some people may want to sit in trees to rpevent felling
> when push comes to shove as it were, and that we shoudl also have tree
> parties, with local schoolchildren also, to celebrate these trees, all
> of them and to come and sit under them and be motivated to take
> positive action towards saving them. They can't save themselves....
> eheu
> Joanna
> 
>       Joanna
> 
> ________________________________
> From: Ellie Stoneley <elliestoneley at googlemail.com>
> To: SOS Cambridge discussion list <discuss at soscambridge.org.uk>
> Sent: Thu, 23 September, 2010 14:55:26
> Subject: Re: [Discuss] Special Meeting on Thursday to discuss tree
> planting plans on Jesus Green and Midsummer Common
> 
> I would second that ...
> just fyi - I have 'tweeted' about this and the meeting tonight from
> @FofSC the Friends of Stourbridge Common twitter account and also
> featured it on our new website please could you note the new website
> address ... forward me links to your sites as you would like and any
> other local news you would like including
> http://stourbridgecommon.wordpress.com
> good luck tonight - I can't make it due to long standing commitment
> but would add my voice to those already shouting about trees going out
> of fashion and so on ... there are not enough trees in Cambridge as it
> is
> all the best
> Ellie
> 
> On 23 September 2010 13:20, Anne Garvey <annemgarvey at ntlworld.com> wrote:
>> 
>> Thanks Peter  but I honestly think there should be zero tolerance on felling
>> perfectly healthy trees just because they¹re no longer fashionable.
>> 
>> For instance the Copper Beech outside your house is earmarked for the axe 
>> simply because it¹s the Œwrong colour¹ and they want a green line of trees.
>> 
>> With reasoning like this, 10 trees is a lot. The conifers alongside the
>> tennis court and swimming pool are being axed for no good reason, and no one
>> was given any option on that  choice on that questionnaire was between two
>> types of replacement hedge. Like the majority of swimmers, I feel the
>> conifers by the pool are a useful screen for privacy and for wind.
>> 
>> 
>> The bottom line should surely be NO removal of trees other than for good
>> sound reasons. I think that was the will of the majority and certainly the
>> view of everyone I talk to . I should like this policy adopted.
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> Best wishes
>> 
>> 
>> Anne
>> 
>> 
>> On 23/9/10 11:45, "CONSTABLE PETER" <p.constable at ntlworld.com> wrote:
>> 
>>> Anne
>>> Tonight's proposal is to plant 50 new trees and 10 replacements on
>>> midsummer common and 20 new trees with 5 replacements on Jesus Green.
>>> The wholesale felling options were opposed by a very large percentage
>>> of the 400 or so respondents to the questionnaire.
>>> We may be able to influence tonight's decision and reduce the
>>> replacement numbers.
>>> 
>>> So the work we done by cambridge people has been effective and the
>>> Alexander Gardens issue has been deferred. Madness does not entirely
>>> prevail and our efforts should continue to bear fruit.
>>> Let's be positive.
>>> Yrs
>>> Peter
>>> 
>>> On 23 September 2010 10:22, Anne Garvey <annemgarvey at ntlworld.com> wrote:
>>>> If only they were tree planting plans  it¹s the tree felling to provide
>>>> uniformity of species  and they told me, colour, all green which is a form
>>>> of madness.
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> On 22/9/10 21:35, "John Lawton" <chair at soscambridge.org.uk> wrote:
>>>> 
>>>>> Just a quick reminder of the special session of the West / Central
>>>>> Area Committee on
>>>>> Thursday, 23rd September at 7.30pm to discuss the tree planting plans
>>>>> developed by the council.
>>>>> 
>>>>> The meeting will be held in the Small Hall at the Guildhall in Cambridge.
>>>>> 
>>>>> The meeting details are here:
>>>>> 
>>>>> <http://www.cambridge.gov.uk/democracy/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=117&MId=50
>>>>> 2>
>>>>> ht
>>>>> tp://www.cambridge.gov.uk/democracy/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=117&MId=502
>>>>> 
>>>>> 
>>>>> Do take this opportunity to have your say. See you there!
>>>>> 
>>>>> John Lawton
>>>>> SOS Chair
>>>>> 
>>>>> ---------------------------------------------------------
>>>>> Save Our green Spaces
>>>>> http://www.soscambridge.org.uk
>>>>> ---------------------------------------------------------
>>>>> 
>>>>> 
>>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>>> discuss mailing list
>>>>> discuss at soscambridge.org.uk
>>>>> http://soscambridge.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/discuss_soscambridge.org.uk
>>>> 
>>>> _______________________________________________
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>>>> 
>>> 
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>> 
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> 
> 
> 
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