Balderton residents shocked as Newark and Sherwood District Council sends the chainsaws in to work on two dangerous willows on junction of London Road with Mount Road

Residents were in shock this morning after chainsaws were taken to landmark trees.

Contractors for Newark and Sherwood District Council pitched up at 8.30am at the junction between London Road and Mount Road, Balderton, to polllard two willow trees, aged over 70 years.

Trees experts deemed both trees unsafe due to cavities of 1.5m and another of 2m. However, after further conversations on site, the district council decided they could be pollarded rather than destroyed.

However, there was consternation among Balderton residents.

One, who is also part of the action group Stop the Chop, Leigh Marshall, said: “It affects the residents massively, mentally and it’s a physical show of - We don’t care, we’re gonna chop down your environment!

“And for the residents locally and anyone passing by, pollard trees looks horrible. It’s ugly, and it will mentally affect people.

“We’ve been told that a gentleman that works for the district council demanded the works because it was a danger to the highway.

“It is extreme work. They could've been done on a smaller level when they could’ve trimmed some trees to reduce the weight level if there was a danger of blowing over.”

His wife Jackie Brown, also a member of the action group added: “This has got to stop.”

Another resident, David Trickett said: “At the end of the day, I am totally against it. This is an environmental issue and we should be protecting what we’ve got tree-wise.

“I thought it was an environmental issue for tree protectors. It is alright for pruning trees, but there is a difference between pruning trees and damaging them to a degree.”

Others understood the need for pollarding.

Ryan Featherstone, who has lived around the corner from the trees for over 20 years, said: “I know with willow trees they need trimming so I grew with the knowledge to accept what they are and why they need it.

“I like trees and I think it is a shame that they cut them because it remains ugly for a little while, not to a natural taste but it is important that they are cut down a little bit.”

On a house across from the trees, Mr and Mrs Phillips said: ““They’re not chopping the trees right down so it is fine and we agree with that.

“Nobody has cut these trees for 20 years and honestly they could all do with what I call a little haircut, not pollarding all the way down.

“The branches do become dangerous and with the Willow on the corner, you can’t see the traffic lights and what is going on around the corner.

“They (the trees) come down here, they hang over and if we have heavy rain it doesn’t drain because the drains are blocked.

The willow had wrapped roots around the drain and blocked it, it never drains around here so a trim was more than necessary.”

Contractors are due to inspect the remaining trees from Sainsbury’s to the A1 Fish Bar and trim, pollard or, in the worst case, remove them if necessary.

Councillor Paul Taylor, portfolio holder for cleaner, safer, greener at Newark and Sherwood District Council, said, “Newark and Sherwood District Council has responsibility for thousands of trees across the district. We have to ensure that trees are maintained so they don’t pose any health and safety risks to the public. We use specialist providers to undertake surveys on our trees, and in relation to two willow trees in Balderton, the advice from the last specialist survey was to remove them.

“However, our management approach to all our trees is to ensure that if public safety can be maintained, trees will be pollarded instead of removed.

“Therefore, our grounds maintenance team pollarded two willow trees in Balderton this morning. Pollarding is a pruning system involving the removal of the upper branches of a tree which promotes vigorous young re-growth from the remaining stumpy branches.

“These two willow trees have not been removed; instead, we are trying to protect them from falling or needing to be removed in the future when they may be past saving.

“I am absolutely flabbergasted that our team has been undertaking routine work this morning and was surrounded by around 30 individuals questioning what they were doing. They were there to maintain public safety.

“They were there to do their jobs. They didn’t need to be filmed or have their photographs taken. This team were out yesterday doing the same jobs in a different area, and they weren’t questioned then. This is what they do.

“They maintain our trees, parks, shrubs and open spaces to keep them safe and beautiful. If you see them, say hi, ask what they are doing but gathering on mass so quickly and making them feel intimidated really just isn’t on, especially when they explained what they were there to do. I would like to reassure you all that we are committed to saving trees wherever we possibly can.”