A row of leylandii trees that were to be felled on The Bearings site are to be retained.

Trees that were planned to be felled as part of a new housing development are now to be retained.

A planning application from Countryside Properties was approved in January by the council’s planning committee for 62 new homes - 12 one-bedroom flats, 33 two-bedroom houses, 13 three-bedroom houses and four four-bedroom houses - to be built on The Bearings site on Bowbridge Road and Lime Grove, which would also mean the felling of eight trees on the site.

Despite the agreement that no trees would be removed during the nesting period, some of the trees were felled at the beginning of April, and the district council issued a temporary stop notice requiring these works to cease for 28 days.

A presentation was made to a Newark and Sherwood District Council's Full Council meeting on May 21 by Katie Greenfield, asking the councillors to save the trees, and she also presented the council with a petition containing 736 signatures from residents appealing for the trees to be saved.

Then at the beginning of June, the application was revised to change some of the houses planned to include the retention of a row of leyllandii trees along the western boundary of the site with the rear gardens of Lime Grove.

A Newark and Sherwood District Council spokesman has confirmed that the council has requested that the western boundary trees are to be retained both during and post construction, and wherever possible, for the trees on the southern boundaries of the site (which can be removed under the planning permission) could be retained during construction phase:

“Conditional planning permission was granted by the planning committee on the January 15 for the erection of 62 homes on the site of The Bearings on Bowbridge Road (18/00973/FULM).

"A condition was attached to this permission which prevented the removal of any trees or hedges within the site during bird breeding season (beginning of March to end of August) unless otherwise agreed in writing by the local planning authority.

"The council was made aware that trees were being felled on the site at the beginning of April and issued a temporary stop notice requiring these works to cease.

"The applicants submitted a new planning application in April 2019 seeking to vary some house types on some of the plots. Following renegotiation with the developer, it was agreed that some trees that would previously have been removed along the Lime Grove boundary, would now be retained.

"We are aware that a petition has been received expressing concern with regards to the loss of trees within the site which is perceived by local residents as open space and we take on board concerns by the local community.

"This petition was heard at Full Council on May 21, 2019 where a response to the petition was provided by Councillor David Lloyd, leader of Newark and Sherwood District Council."