Bridgwater has seen trees chopped down and left half standing over the past few months leading to a sense of despair that there was a concerted plan or maybe lack of one, by ‘the council’ to get away with this widespread destruction of our greenery. So on Friday when a post appeared on Bridgwater Past n Present facebook site claiming ‘the council had plans to chop  down most of the cherry trees in Hamp Green Rise’ more than 200 comments vented their opposition and a petition to prevent further destruction went viral. For ward councillors – who knew nothing of this – immediate investigation was needed.

Town Council Leader and Westover ward councillor Brian Smedley visited the site at once with new Town Council Climate Change portfolio holder Li Gibson and found no indication of intent by any of the 3 councils and so ,as Town had no ability, power nor desire to destroy trees, it must be one of the other 2. Someone ‘in a Sedgemoor van’ had been there and one resident said she had been told of 7 or 8 trees ‘facing the axe’.  But Sedgemoor District Council owned no trees in the area -however it did act as an agent for Somerset County. The mystery was unravelling. Continue reading “Bridgwater Breathes Again as Tree Programme Paused”