{"id":4274,"date":"2020-01-20T18:10:08","date_gmt":"2020-01-20T18:10:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/wordpress.satellite.mmu.ac.uk\/northernquota-old\/2020\/01\/20\/proposed-felling-protected-trees-puts-castlefield-wildlife-risk\/"},"modified":"2020-01-20T18:10:08","modified_gmt":"2020-01-20T18:10:08","slug":"proposed-felling-protected-trees-puts-castlefield-wildlife-risk","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/satellite.mmu.ac.uk\/northernquota-old\/proposed-felling-protected-trees-puts-castlefield-wildlife-risk\/","title":{"rendered":"Proposed felling of protected trees puts Castlefield wildlife at risk"},"content":{"rendered":"

The proposed felling of 18 trees on the banks of Bridgewater Canal could have a devastating impact on the wildlife of Castlefield, say campaigners.<\/p>\n

Residents who live close by are growing increasingly concerned about the potential effect the construction work could have on a selection of trees on the banks of the canal. <\/p>\n

The trees, which are protected by a tree preservation order established in 2015, have recently been surveyed. The survey confirmed that one of the trees was \u201can excellent specimen\u201d for its particular species, and another eight were described as being in \u201cvery good condition\u201d.<\/p>\n

The report advised they should be retained but aplanning permission application is seeking to fellcut down the trees.<\/p>\n

Russell Eckersley, a Worsley Mill resident since 2007, first raised concerns in 2015 when he received notification of a planning permission application for the further development of Potato Wharf on the other side of the canal.<\/p>\n

Alarmed that there was no mention of the large, established trees lining the canal in the application, Russell and other residents of Worsley Mill agreed they should contact the city council and enquire about the trees. Following a tree survey, the council agreed to a woodland preservation order on the trees in question. <\/p>\n

Building work for the second part of the development of Potato Wharf began in early 2019. Russell grew concerned two weeks before Christmas when he noticed workmen assessing the area. <\/p>\n

He sent correspondence to the planning department and discovered that planning permission<\/a> to remove the trees had been requested in August by Bridgewater Canal Company. He said residents had not been made aware of the application. <\/p>\n

\"The
A survey confirmed the several of the trees are in very good condition <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Russell said: \u201cWhilst I would be very upset if the trees were chopped down because it will affect where I live, it\u2019s about much more than that. They are a rare group of trees in the city centre. They\u2019re particularly old, they need preserving and they support a lot of bird life. <\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s been interesting to people living in Worsley Mill is that they\u2019re not just your average birds that you see around Castlefield – there are all sorts of unusual species that were identified at the time of the planning application.<\/p>\n

“I\u2019m no expert, but there are pied wagtails, redstarts, lapwings and other unusual bird species which you wouldn\u2019t necessarily see if there weren\u2019t trees of that age and variety.\u201d<\/p>\n