Havering Daily: ‘Please Network Rail Leave Our Trees Alone’ - Andrew Rosindell MP.
To read the article in full, please click here.
To read Andrew's letter to Network Rail, click here.
“The new Liberty Line is a green lung for our area and here we are three years on and once again Network Rail have arrived to cut trees without letting myself or the community know of the works they are doing.”
Residents joined Members of Havering Friends of the Earth, Havering Green Party Members, local councillor Christine Vickery and the Member of Parliament for Romford Andrew Rosindell yesterday, 20 January at Emerson Park station to see the destruction of trees caused by the tree felling campaign by Network Rail.
Three years ago residents were so outraged at the butchering of trees at the back of their homes that they set up a special groups entitled ‘Stop Network Rail’ to monitor all the works going on.
They were supported by Mr Rosindell who, just as now, was not contacted by Network Rail of their works in the area, but was contacted by hundreds of angry residents. Mr Rosindell acted immediately and was able to halt the works on the line until further discussions had taken place and was able to meet with members of Network Rail who assured residents they would be replanting trees in the area and also working to provide a new area for the Queen’s Jubilee for green spaces. That never happened and no trees were ever planted.
Now, three years on, and the exact same situation is taking place. Neither Andrew as the Elected Representative for one of the areas the line covers, or locals living along the back of the line have ever been contacted by Network Rail to inform them of the works being carried out. Not only that, but misinformation has been shared with residents and maps showing trees due to be felled, are believed to be incorrect. Residents are rightly angry and very protective of the trees that have lined the back of the homes for years.
“We don’t want to see trees unnecessarily removed. I don’t understand how Network Rail can make the same mistake again having done this three years ago, but they have done. They haven’t notified the MPs or councillors. They haven’t provided residents with the full information and for me looking at trees here- it doesn’t seem that they are only removing dangerous trees or trees close to the line. So it looks to me like the bureaucracy has taken over once again and there has been no clear thinking about what they are trying to achieve.
“We are all here together Rosina from Havering Friends of the Earth, Ruth from Havering Green Party, local Councillor Christine Vickery and I are all here because we do not want healthy trees removed. We understand there are trees dangerously close to the line and that they have to maintain the line for safety purposes, but we do not accept that healthy trees need to be removed. We really are not prepared to accept this and will keep on at Network Rail until we are reassured that what they are doing is actually essential work and that they are not needlessly removing our trees,” continued Mr Rosindell.
Havering Green Party Member Ruth Kettle Frisby told the Havering Daily:
“I am an avid supporter of public transport, but Network Rail cannot be given carte blanche to run roughshod over our little push and pull railway line, destroying trees in the absence of clear public consultation. Residents can appreciate the need to remove expertly targeted dead or diseased trees. However, yet again transparency with the public is sorely lacking, with glaring discrepancies in Network Rail’s communications causing understandable distress among residents who care about the trees in our local woodland areas.”
Rosina Purnell from Havering Friends of The Earth Told the Havering Daily: “We were dealing with this situation three years ago and again Network Rail have just ignored us.
“We are going to be examining their ecology report of which we have found all sorts of problems such as are they protecting bats sufficiently well? And our wildlife on a whole. We are going to investigate further.”
“Anyone who knows this area knows that this is a very slow train, its not the high speed rail, this is a local train line. It does not need this. It does not need major work. It is a quiet little line, so please Network Rail leave it alone and do the necessary and essential work but the rest leave it. The more trees they remove the more wildlife they kill. We are a green town and country borough and we need to preserve that,” finished Andrew.
The battle to save our trees continues……
