Residents of Kidsgrove, a town in North Staffordshire, have expressed sadness at the felling of a weeping willow to make way for the development of a Lidl supermarket.
The tree had stood on the site of the town’s former working men’s club near to the A50 for a hundred years and was described by locals as being a ‘focal point’ of the area.
Supermarket company Lidl, who are developing the site had initially suggested the tree would be retained and incorporated into the new store. They have now reneged on this promise despite a protest campaign by local residents.
Speaking to the Sentinel Margaret Astle, a patron of the working men’s club which is to be rebuilt on a new site, said she was ‘saddened’ to see a tree that had been ‘synonymous’ with the area for years cut down.
A spokesperson for Lidl, also speaking to the Sentinel, said the company had ‘consulted widely with the local community and worked with the council to examine all options’, adding that in this instance ‘it was not possible to keep the willow tree’.
The spokesperson went on the say that as part of their ‘comprehensive landscaping plans’ for the site Lidl would be planting new trees nearby.
There are currently 3.21million hectares of woodland in the UK, 13% of the country’s total landmass. Woods play an important role in combating pollution; over an average lifetime of 100 years an area of woodland is predicted to sequester 4.7million tons of carbon dioxide (source: Forest Research).
Trees provide other benefits including providing complex microhabitats for birds, insects, lichen and fungi. A mature oak can be home to 500 species, there are also more than twenty British trees that have medicinal properties.
Having access to woodland can have a positive impact on the health of individuals and communities. Research has shown that spending time in woodland can reduce blood pressure, heart rate and levels of stress.
As in Kidsgrove trees can be focal points, bringing people together and encouraging them to take pride in their community. They also help to drive regeneration; people are attracted to live and work in green surroundings (source: Royal Parks).
The loss of woodland can have a devastating impact on the environment. A report presented to the United Nations in September 2019 by twenty-five campaign groups including Climate Focus found that 26million hectares of woodland are being lost worldwide every year.
The rate of decline has increased by 43% despite a declaration by the United Nations in 2014 calling on countries to halve deforestation by 2020.
Speaking to the Guardian Dr Jo House, reader in environmental science at the University of Bristol said ‘deforestation, mostly for agriculture, contributes a third of anthropogenic CO2 emissions.
Research has shown that the loss of forests exacerbates the impact of climate change, leading to the devastating fires and floods seen across the globe.
Dr House told the Guardian that the ‘natural sink provided forests is at risk from the dual threats of further deforestation and climate change’.
Charlotte Streck, co-founder of Climate Focus told the Guardian ‘we need to keep our trees and we need to restore our forests, deforestation has accelerated despite pledges that have been made’.
Adam Colclough, campaigns coordinator for North Staffs Green Party said it was ‘very disappointing to see a much-loved local landmark being felled to create a supermarket carpark’.
He added that ‘in the context of escalating harms from climate change the loss of even a single tree is something to be avoided’.
The party has written to Trevor Johnson, portfolio holder for the environment at Newcastle Borough Council to express concern over the loss of the willow tree in Kidsgrove. They have also called on the council to consider seeking Tree City status.
Adam Colclough said ‘recent events have shown us the fragility of our modern world and how important access to nature is to our physical and mental wellbeing. If we are going to rebuild a better and more resilient world, then protecting the environment must be at the hearty of the process’.
At time of writing no reply had been received from Newcastle Borough Council.
No comments:
Post a Comment