Plymouth campaigners bid to save 130 trees facing chop by council

Campaigners are working to save more than 130 mature trees from being chopped down by Plymouth city council.

Alison White, who is running the campaign to save the trees from her kitchen table, is asking the council to rethink plans to destroy them as part of a £12.7m investment project along a popular walkway in the city centre.

She and other locals have said removing the trees is not necessary to enhance the area and that their loss will have a detrimental impact on the environment and people’s wellbeing.

While the council has said it plans to plant saplings to replace the mature trees, campaigners say this is “greenwash”, as the trees will not mature for another 30 years.

White, whose campaign is called Save the Trees of Armada Way (Straw), told Plymouth Live: “I set up Straw because I was shocked to hear about how so many of the beautiful and well-established trees in town were to be chopped down as part of the regeneration of Armada Way. I assumed that if I had not previously known about the plans then others would also be unaware of what they involved.”

Her petition has more than 3,000 signatures from people who agree that “these trees are the green lungs of our city”.

She also has the support of the local Labour MP, Luke Pollard, who said: “The fact that the council has started to remove these trees at night, as if to avoid scrutiny, suggests that they are aware of the public’s strength of feeling but are choosing to ignore it.

“The council should remove the destruction of these trees and begin a proper round of public consultation on their plans.”

A spokesperson for Plymouth city council said the number of trees would double under the plans, with “a significant biodiversity gain of the region of now 22%”. In total, almost 150 new trees will be planted.