Residents Hope for Reprieve for Condemned Trees

Two trees over forty years old set to be felled by council

The trees which are slated for removal. Picture: Rebekah Hall

Residents of Swanscombe Road in Chiswick are hoping for a last-minute reprieve for two mature cherry trees which the council is planning to chop down.

Long-term residents believe that one or both of the trees may have been planted, paid for partly by people living in the road, after the ‘hurricane’ in 1987 but the Hounslow borough tree map suggests that they may actually be as much as 70 years old.

The two trees are planted on a narrow pavement and the roots are making the surface uneven. After receiving a complaint about the impact the trees were having on the pavement, Hounslow Highways arboriculturists assessed the situation and decided that it was necessary to chop them both down this July.

After receiving a number of representations on the matter, Hounslow Highways agreed to investigate alternative solutions. People living in the street proposed that a loss of parking space would be preferable to the trees being removed. However, recently a member of staff informed a resident in an email that they were unable to find a ‘suitable engineering solution’ to overcome the footway and access issues the trees presented.

It was therefore decided that the trees would be removed at some point in the week commencing 3 October. Hounslow Highways says it will plant replacement trees and hopes to find additional space for more saplings if conditions allow.

Victoria Evans, one of the group campaigning to save the trees, pointed out that, if these trees were removed, it could create a precedent that could be applied across Chiswick where bumpy pavements due to tree roots are common.

She said that the council appeared to be choosing the cheapest option and called for a proper consultation about the proposed removals adding, “Many residents are long-term and have not witnessed any falls/injuries by these trees which provide much needed shade this summer as well as nesting for birds. The replacement trees would be tiny in comparison.”

Swanscombe Road leads into Devonshire Road south of the High Road.

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September 30, 2022