Terms agreed for review of Plymouth trees cut down

The review will look into why and how trees were cut down at night in Plymouth

The terms of an independent review into the controversial felling of more than 100 trees have been agreed.

Plymouth City Council ordered the trees be cut down at night in March 2023.

When Labour took control of the council from Conservatives in May 2023, the new administration withdrew the decision and, in July, the council ordered an independent review be carried out.

No date has been given for starting the review as it cannot begin until all legal proceedings are resolved and there are still two legal strands ongoing.

The trees were cut down in Armada Way in March 2023

Campaigners took Plymouth City Council to the High Court in March, arguing the actions of the council had been unlawful.

The case was dismissed by Judge David Elvin KC but the city council had to make a commitment to the court to carry out the independent review.

In his conclusion, the judge was critical of the city council and said there were "still a number of questions to be answered".

The city council's cabinet discussed the terms of the review on Monday.

The review will be delivered by an independent panel of three people with expertise in local government and planning.

In papers for the meeting, the council says its aim is to "help the council and others understand what happened and how improvements can be made to the council’s processes and procedures as a result".

The review will look into the use of "urgent" decision-making powers, the reasons for the action being taken at night and whether there was enough public consultation.

New plans for regenerating Armada Way have been agreed but not yet started

The report notes the independent learning review (ILR) "will not commence until the conclusion of all extant legal proceedings".

The council's head of legal services, Liz Bryant, said at the meeting on Monday it was "very difficult" to know how long it would take for that to happen.

The campaign group STRAW (Save the Trees of Armada Way) has filed for permission to appeal against the High Court dismissal of the case with a decision yet to be made by the court.

At the High Court case in March, the court also heard there were ongoing proceedings regarding allegations of contempt of court by Plymouth City Council.

A new scheme to regenerate Armada Way was agreed in February but work has stalled and a final budget is yet to be set.