Madam,

The motivation behind Aberystwyth Town Council’s three-year campaign to chop down trees, degrade habitats and generally ruin a nice green space in the town’s North Road park is difficult to comprehend.

Mature trees soak up carbon dioxide and so lessen the severity of climate change. They do important work. What’s not to understand?

In 2016 the town council paid consultants an undisclosed sum to carry out a geophysical survey of underground root growth in the area, but this seems to have turned up nothing unexpected and did not conclude that houses in Queen’s Road are under serious threat of structural damage.

The consultants’ report lists management options for the trees, but does not recommend any particular approach. Felling is listed as one option, but so is cutting a narrow trench into which an underground physical barrier can be installed to prevent the spread of roots towards the houses.

On felling, the report warns that “shoots may continue to emerge from the woody roots even though the original tree is dead. In some circumstances removal of the tree may lead to greater root activity…”.

If the town council accepts that property owners in this part of Queen’s Road have legitimate, factually-based and serious concerns about the possibility of structural damage caused by root spread, the logical course of action would be to install a protective root barrier. No trees need to be destroyed.

The land and its trees are owned by Cyngor Sir Ceredigion, which leases the land to the town council, so the two councils could agree to share the cost of the work.

The county council has now extended its consultation deadline on these proposals to Wednesday, 5 December. Objections and comments to [email protected], 01545-570881/572141, ref CAO/4/2018.

Yours etc,

Diana Heeks and Dave Bradney, Joppa, Llanrhystud.

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