Plan for 10 new trees to replace felled oaks in Burley is given go-ahead

PLANS have been approved for a row of 10 new trees to replace oaks in Burley to which villagers tied themselves last year in a bid to save them.

The parish council's plan has been given the go-ahead in Pound Lane where Forestry England is looking at chainsawing more trees which it says are diseased.

As reported in the A&T, residents formed a human chain in November last year to try to stop the felling, with two trees eventually taken down amid concerns they were in a dangerous condition.

Cllr Philip Daubeney, parish council chair, said members were “delighted” to have been given the go ahead for the replanting, which will include protective fencing to stop the saplings being eaten.

He added: “The council will be responsible for the cost of the planting and the upkeep of the fences.”

Other trees along the road may also be felled as they are decaying, according to minutes of a recent meeting of the Verderers' Court, which discussed the new planting.

It was told that Pound Lane was designated as “ancient and ornamental” woodland, and the new trees would create a “living corridor connecting the Forest on one end of Pound Lane to the other”.

Forestry England is backing the parish council’s plan, the court was told, and Natural England would also support it, providing the verderers agreed to the fences.

Retired social worker Sue Crooks was among those who took action to try to save the trees and was "pleased" at the parish council's plan.

But she said: “I will believe it when I see it. When I went to a meeting about the trees, I heard someone say at the end, ‘Treat the people of Burley like New Forest ponies, give them a pat and a lump of sugar and you can do what you like’.

“I fear this will happen with this plan; lots will be promised but nothing happens in the end.

“The oaks should never have been cut down. You can clearly see from what’s left that they were healthy."

“I am hopeful about the plan but there is a lot of things they need to prepare for planting like getting rid of the huge tree stumps as there is nowhere to plant anything at the moment. “