‘Don’t chop trees’ plea from Inverness councillor
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A city councillor wants to save a copse of trees in the city centre.
Councillor Bill Boyd said that, with an exerted effort, trees which are set to be felled at the Royal Ness Court retirement housing development in Inverness can be saved.
The trees, described as “an island of greenery”, are due to be removed as a cost-cuting measure.
However Cllr Boyd, who lives within the development, said: “The trees provide a welcome green patch of shade with seats in the summer and in autumn the leaves are a beautiful varied riot of colour.
“The factors have decided to fell the trees to save money on maintenance and to avoid the effort of clearing leaf fall in autumn.”
He added: “These trees are not diseased, they have simply been neglected.
“Any tree felling should be a last resort, not a default management policy.
“Such action must have the owners’ consent and be acceptable to residents nearby.”
A spokesperson for the Royal Ness Court development said: “We are sorry to hear that one of our residents is unhappy with the decision to remove a small number of trees at Royal Ness Court.
“The trees in question have been a long-standing concern at the development and despite best efforts to maintain them, the placement and growth of the trees have now become a safety hazard.”
They added that residents had already been consulted.
“We have discussed this with the residents, who made a collective decision to remove the trees and replace them with trees that are more suited to the space,” they said. “This will ensure their communal gardens remain a well-cared for green space all residents can continue to enjoy safely.”
