How Plymouth plans to move on from city tree-felling episode

Local elections will be held in Plymouth on 2 May

Politicians searching for success in the May local elections say Plymouth needs to move on from a headline-grabbing episode in which more than 100 trees were cut down.

Plymouth City Council was widely criticised when it ordered the felling of the city centre trees in March 2023.

The council was Conservative-run at the time but lost control to Labour in the May 2023 local elections.

Representatives from all parties said the city centre needed rejuvenation.

Lauren McLay from the Green Party wants to see the city centre buzzing

Lauren McLay is standing for the Green Party and said the city centre was currently "in a sorry state".

She said: "Our city centre for a year has been in this limbo mode of: 'When will it get better?'

"I think what we're seeing now is a real need just to get going and put these plans into action.

"We want to see a city centre that is buzzing for businesses, buzzing for nature and also just a place that people want to come to."

Ms McLay said she wanted to see a transformation in the city centre from "just being a place of commerce to being one that marries really fantastic residential property with really good shops and activities on ground level".

Patrick Nicholson said the cutting down of the trees in Plymouth had been "a fiasco"

Patrick Nicholson, leader of the Independent Group on Plymouth City Council, said the city had been "hammered" by slow progress in redevelopment plans.

He said: "Certainly it's not done Plymouth any good at all. The whole fiasco of taking down trees was really very much against public opinion and the manner in which the council went about that.

"Hopefully we're moving forward and hopefully the works will be delivered and completed in a timely manner."

Mr Nicholson said it was not only an improvement of public spaces that was needed.

He said: "It should be about encouraging the right sort of destination and making an environment that is encouraging and receptive to, not only people that live in Plymouth, but many that live just outside Plymouth who instead will go to Exeter or Truro for a destination rather than Plymouth."

Tudor Evans is the leader of Plymouth City Council

Tudor Evans, Labour leader of the council, said it was time to move on from the tree-felling episode and promised a "renaissance" for Plymouth.

He said: "We've put all that behind us now.

"What's happening now is we're facing the future and we've got a plan for the future, and we're going to make it exciting and business is responding very positively to that.

"It'll make Plymouth a really epic shopping centre again.

"We've got plans to bring in up to 5,000 new housing units back into the city centre to give that sense of community and a thriving environment.

"There's going to be lots of money pouring into the city, creating a really positive environment here."

Hugh Janes is the chairman of the Liberal Democrats in Plymouth

Plymouth City Council has plans to bring in Plymouth City College to the Civic Centre site and signed off a scheme to regenerate Armada Way in February with a budget of about £37m.

However, the chairman of Plymouth Liberal Democrats, Hugh Janes, who is also standing for election, is sceptical about the scheme's final cost.

He said: "It's very nice on paper. But when you suddenly go from £12.5m to £37m... you know that's the tip of the iceberg because, once the cost of these schemes goes up to those kind of prices, £37m is going to turn into £45m, maybe even £50m.

"Where's all that money coming from?"

"The potential here is phenomenal - we've seen the Formula One boat races out in the Sound [sea front].

"Lots of things are done very well in this city and lots of things, I'm afraid, get neglected and the city centre is one of those areas that has been neglected."

Work is continuing to regenerate Old Town Street in Plymouth

The BBC made a number of requests to Plymouth City Council Conservatives for an interview but they declined to put anybody forward.

The Conservatives sent a statement which said they hoped the regeneration of Armada Way, the Civic Centre and Old Town Street would increase visitor numbers and make the area "a go-to place to meet, shop, eat and relax".

They said more car parking needed to be added to new developments to encourage people to live in the city centre.

The Conservatives said they wanted to work with businesses and communities to formulate a long-term vision for the city.

Information about all of the candidates for all wards in the 2 May elections is available on the BBC website.