TREES NEED URGENT PRUNING

The Hornchurch Residents' Association is very unsatisfied with the Conservative Administrations lack of funding for tree pruning and maintenance. According to them, there is hardly a road throughout Elm Park and Hornchurch in which trees have been regularly pruned and properly looked after. 

Jeremy Wilkes, the H.R.A.'s Hylands action team Co-ordinator, is continually contacting the Council on behalf of local residents asking them to get trees pruned. Most of the complaints he gets is about “feathering” - shoots that grow from the base and main branch of the trees.

Jeremy Wilkes said “If I walk down almost any road in Hylands Ward in Hornchurch, and I can almost guarantee you will come across trees that are in urgent need of pruning. Often it is just individual trees that need pruning, but in some roads there are many more.”

He went on: “Lyndhurst Drive is in a terrible state, practically every tree has large shoots growing from its base. In places pedestrians can hardly walk on the pavement. It's disgraceful and dangerous and it's about time the Council sorted this road out and many like it as an urgently priority.”

Mr Wilkes has asked for this to be done, however he is still waiting for a reply. He has been told that the Council's whole funding and tree maintenance programme is under review.

Jeremy Wilkes, who is also the General Secretary of the Elm Park Horticultural Guild said, “Some trees particularly Lime trees, need pruning more than once a year. However, most are lucky to get that within four years. Consequently they soon become overgrown and a nuisance.”

The Residents' Association group in the Town Hall believes the Council should prune and maintain all of the trees regularly. That way, they would never have the number of complaints they receive at the moment. Prune little and often rather than wait until the trees need heavy and costly pruning is what they suggest.

Opposition spokesman, Shadow Cabinet member for StreetCare, Cllr Andy Mann said: “I agree with Jeremy that more investment needs to be provided for the maintenance of trees within the borough. This is an important issue that needs immediate response as the trees are literally growing out of control as we speak!”

Picture shows: Jeremy Wilkes of the Hornchurch Residents' Association demanding action with one of the overgrown trees in Lyndhurst Drive, Hornchurch.

 

7.7.08