Sadness at potential loss of cherry tree in city

Herefordshire Council has applied to itself for permission to fell the 40ft cherry tree

A body of tree experts has expressed dismay at plans to remove one of central Hereford's few sizeable public trees.

Herefordshire Council has applied for permission to fell the 40ft (12m) flowering cherry in St Peter's Square and replace it with "alternative shrubs".

Herefordshire Tree Forum spokesperson Mo Burns said the forum disapproved of the plan "in the strongest terms".

"Hereford city's streetscape already suffers from a severe lack of trees, with the loss of any tree reducing it further," added Ms Burns, who is the city's tree warden coordinator.

"The absence of street trees in the city centre should concern the public, who benefit from the obvious gains that trees provide throughout the seasons, such as their ability to absorb airborne pollution, mitigate flash flooding, enhance mental health, and give shade in our increasingly hot summers," she added.

But she acknowledged the cherry tree in question, in a crumbling brick planter, "was badly planted in the first place, as councils often don't calibrate in the size of the fully mature tree at the time of design".

City councillor and chair of the Hereford Civic Society, Jeremy Milln, said: "If the cherry is to go, and its loss would be regrettable, it should be replaced by a new tree – but this time in the ground, not in a planter which costs money, requires much watering, soon breaks apart (as this one has), and takes up a lot of space."

The authority must submit an application to itself for a tree in a conservation area.

A Herefordshire Council spokesperson said the felling and replacement proposal "has not yet been assessed by our tree officer", who is due to produce a report on "the suitability of the tree in its current location and whether it is suitable for retention".

"If the tree needs to be removed for agreed arboricultural reasons, then there will be time allocated to consider whether the planting of a replacement tree or shrubs is a suitable option," they added.