Tree felling angers dog walker

5:49pm Monday 30th June 2008

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A dozen mature trees have been felled in an Oxford park and will be used as seating for an outdoor theatre production.

The city council says the chestnut, ash and other specimens in Headington Hill Park have been chopped down for safety reasons.

The Creation Theatre company, which starts its two-month run of Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream in the park on Friday, will use the trees as benches for audience members.

Glynis Robinson, who regularly walks her dog in the park, said the trees did not look diseased or rotten.

Ms Robinson, from St Mary's Road, East Oxford, said: "I have never seen such wholesale destruction in that park.

"I thought that park was safe, but it is so shocking to see 12 lovely, healthy, mature trees lying in pieces.

"You can tell from a tree trunk if it is diseased and these ones looked in perfectly healthy condition. A tree is home to 4,000 species, like insects, bugs and caterpillars. Those have been lost."

A council spokesman said: "Some trees in Headington Hill Park are being cut down as part of our tree management programme.

"This programme, which started last year, involves surveying 32,000 trees over three years and creating a database of tree stock to highlight any arboricultural work required.

"The dangers of falling trees are well publicised and the council's first duty is to do all it can to protect Oxford's citizens."

City councillor Bob Timbs, board member for leisure and sport, said: "I know that all relevant tests, both sonic and probing, have been used to confirm that the trees have been identified to be felled for safety reasons.

"New semi-matured trees will be planted to replace the fallen, although not in the same spot, but as near as possible."

Nicola West, Creation's producer of A Midsummer Night's Dream, stressed that the trees had not been cut down for the theatre production.

She added: "The council has been doing a survey of its trees and it has been told to cut down trees in all its parks for health and safety reasons.

"We were going to provide log or bench seating for our audiences which we were going to rent or buy in, so when the council said to us they were cutting down some trees it was perfect for us."