Ealing North
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Steve Pound MP Ealing North |
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March 2005 - Gazette Article A right old furore has broken out after a Councillor who should have known better chose to leak and embellish an Ealing Council report. According to many people who have contacted me the Council plans to chop down thousands of lime trees – according to the Council this just isn’t the case. A spot of basic sleuthing turned up some interesting information. Every department of Ealing Council has to put its budget under the microscope every year and, frankly, I would be worried if they weren’t doing so. Amongst the scores of suggestions – and I stress the word “suggestions” – was one that noted the huge costs of insurance claims that could be traced back to the borough’s four thousand or so lime trees and the possibility of removing some and replacing them with one, two or more of the hundred plus species that make our borough the special place that it is. A suggestion – nothing more. As an MP who represents, amongst other areas, the Lime Trees Estate I should be leaping to the barricades to defend our limes to the last drop of my blood but I’m afraid that I won’t be. Every constituent who has contacted me on the subject in the past eight years has been complaining bitterly about what they usually call “slime trees” and demanding their removal. Ealing’s limes were, typically, planted about one hundred years ago and are approaching the end of their natural life. If we were planning Ealing from scratch we might well have a tram system but we would certainly not have chosen to plant trees that hurl out shoots from their bases and block the pathway for people pushing buggies and for wheelchair users. We wouldn’t have chosen a species that costs so much to maintain while dripping sap on passers by and parked cars. We definitely wouldn’t have chosen trees that root laterally and damage foundations to the extent that the council’s insurers are asking some very worrying questions. Having said that there is no doubt that some people love their limes and should be allowed to keep them in the streets where they are wanted. We have over 27,300 trees in Ealing and most add real beauty to our streets. The avenue of horse chestnuts rolling down from Hanwell Community Centre to the Ruislip Road East is one of the marvels of London but even there trees have to be felled when they become dangerous. I keep a close eye on the replacement programme and make sure that we keep this glorious avenue for future generations to admire. The council seems to be understandably aggrieved that one of many hundred savings proposals has been leaked and spun in a way that even Alistair Campbell would have been ashamed of but many of my constituents complain that they cannot get a straight answer from the council and fear that a secret cull is being planned behind closed doors. As ever I look to the “Gazette” to get this matter out into the open and to the council to accept that there are areas where limes are the right and most appropriate trees to brighten our street scene. There are no firm proposals for any programme to chop back the lime trees but a great many of my constituents in Northolt, Greenford and Perivale would be delighted to see the back of them if they could be assured that replacements would be planted. Others want to see their trees left alone. That does not seem an impossible task and I ask Ealing Council to say precisely where they are in respect of the proposal, what the consultation will be and what procedure will be followed. Over to you, Ealing! |
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| Disclaimer | Copyright | Designed by Bassam Mahfouz. Promoted by Julian Bell, The Labour Party, Ruskin Hall, 16 Church Road, W3 8PP on behalf of Steve Pound MP |
