Plymouth felled trees: Clear-up work begins at site

Council workers have started clearing some of the vegetation not covered by the legal injunction

Initial clear-up work as part of the process of removing felled tree trunks from the centre of Plymouth has begun.

A review was launched in March into the events leading up to the decision to fell 110 trees in the city centre.

A High Court injunction halted the work on the Armada Way project in the early hours of 15 March, leaving just 16 trees standing.

Plymouth City Council workers have now begun to clear vegetation that was not covered by the injunction.

The council failed in its latest attempt on Thursday to avoid a judge-led review into whether it acted unlawfully over the Armada Way tree felling.

The council requested a re-hearing on its application to set aside the legal proceedings.

It said it believed that, as the judicial review was based on a decision which had now been overturned, the decision was therefore "academic".

However, a judicial review (JR) into the events leading up to the decision to fell the trees is now likely to go ahead at the High Court in London - on a date still to be decided.

Alice Goodenough, the solicitor for the tree campaigners Save The Trees of Armada Way (Straw), said Plymouth City Council had caused "expensive and unnecessary" delays to the court case.

The site in Plymouth city centre remains fenced off to the public

A Plymouth City Council spokesperson said: "To move forward with a lengthy JR process will cost the council thousands of pounds of taxpayers' money; money that could be spent on other services.

"As a result of the judge's decision... we now have no choice.

"However, this legal process will not deter or prevent us moving forward with our current plans to clean up Armada Way."

The council said it knew most people wanted to see action and a resolution for Armada Way and it said that this was a priority.

The local authority said it was "almost ready" to also come forward with its new design for consultation.

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