• Contact us
  • About us
  • Digital edition
Monday, January 18, 2021
Cumberland and Westmorland Herald
  • News
    • All
    • The Raven
    Coronavirus

    943 more coronavirus cases diagnosed in Cumbria

    First COVID-19 death in four days recorded at North Cumbria Integrated Care Trust

    Nine new coronavirus deaths at North Cumbria Integrated Care Trust

    Storm Christoph on way to batter Cumbria

    Storm Christoph on way to batter Cumbria

    Man who brandished two shotguns at birthday party told to expect jail term

    Pensioner spared prison for historical sex assault on boy

    History being made as COVID-19 vaccines rolled out

    Almost 4,000 people vaccinated against COVID-19 in Eden

    Cranstons champions Eden’s produce with lockdown friendly click + collect service

    Cranstons champions Eden’s produce with lockdown friendly click + collect service

    Natural burial site plan for Alston farmland

    Coping with bereavement during the COVID-19 pandemic

    Police officer, 59, killed in A66 crash

    Police officer, 59, killed in A66 crash

    £800,000 cost of rural crime

    Concerns grow for missing Keswick woman, 54

  • Sport
    Penrith AFC bosses praise Grant Davidson as he clocks up more than 500 games

    Penrith AFC bosses praise Grant Davidson as he clocks up more than 500 games

    Carlisle United at top of table is exciting says Gavin Skelton – but vital for team to focus

    Carlisle United at top of table is exciting says Gavin Skelton – but vital for team to focus

    Penrith Angling Association wins £7,500 for beck pollution incident

    Fishing banned during lockdown

    Lakeland Rowing Club’s championship medals haul

    Lakeland Rowing Club’s championship medals haul

    Uncertainty looms as Penrith Rugby Club issues rallying cry

    Penrith’s festive fixtures kicked in touch by coronavirus

    Penrith AFC lose out on COVID Cup win

    Penrith AFC lose out on COVID Cup win

    Workington Reds win derby as Penrith AFC wait for league season ruling

    Workington Reds win derby as Penrith AFC wait for league season ruling

    Mark Donovan takes well earned break after Grand Tour debut

    Mark Donovan takes well earned break after Grand Tour debut

    Penrith AFC games cancelled for another two weeks

    Penrith AFC games cancelled for another two weeks

  • Farming
    • All
    • Red Shepherdess
    NFU president joins campaign to save Newton Rigg

    NFU president joins campaign to save Newton Rigg

    Cumbria YFC create video to support Newton Rigg

    Cumbria YFC create video to support Newton Rigg

    CLA director Dorothy Fairburn to retire

    CLA director Dorothy Fairburn to retire

    Optimism and record numbers at Kirkby Stephen mart

    Optimism and record numbers at Kirkby Stephen mart

    Veganuary? You’d be better going back to basics….

    Veganuary? You’d be better going back to basics….

    Penrith Angling Association wins £7,500 for beck pollution incident

    Local fishing allowed under lockdown rules

    Penrith Angling Association wins £7,500 for beck pollution incident

    Fishing banned during lockdown

    ‘Drop and go’ introduced at Cumbria’s livestock marts

    ‘Drop and go’ introduced at Cumbria’s livestock marts

    ‘Huge relief’ for farmers as trade deal is agreed

    ‘Huge relief’ for farmers as trade deal is agreed

  • Property
  • Obituaries
  • Nostalgia
  • Recruitment
  • Photosales
  • Subscribe
No Result
View All Result
Cumberland and Westmorland Herald
  • News
    • All
    • The Raven
    Coronavirus

    943 more coronavirus cases diagnosed in Cumbria

    First COVID-19 death in four days recorded at North Cumbria Integrated Care Trust

    Nine new coronavirus deaths at North Cumbria Integrated Care Trust

    Storm Christoph on way to batter Cumbria

    Storm Christoph on way to batter Cumbria

    Man who brandished two shotguns at birthday party told to expect jail term

    Pensioner spared prison for historical sex assault on boy

    History being made as COVID-19 vaccines rolled out

    Almost 4,000 people vaccinated against COVID-19 in Eden

    Cranstons champions Eden’s produce with lockdown friendly click + collect service

    Cranstons champions Eden’s produce with lockdown friendly click + collect service

    Natural burial site plan for Alston farmland

    Coping with bereavement during the COVID-19 pandemic

    Police officer, 59, killed in A66 crash

    Police officer, 59, killed in A66 crash

    £800,000 cost of rural crime

    Concerns grow for missing Keswick woman, 54

  • Sport
    Penrith AFC bosses praise Grant Davidson as he clocks up more than 500 games

    Penrith AFC bosses praise Grant Davidson as he clocks up more than 500 games

    Carlisle United at top of table is exciting says Gavin Skelton – but vital for team to focus

    Carlisle United at top of table is exciting says Gavin Skelton – but vital for team to focus

    Penrith Angling Association wins £7,500 for beck pollution incident

    Fishing banned during lockdown

    Lakeland Rowing Club’s championship medals haul

    Lakeland Rowing Club’s championship medals haul

    Uncertainty looms as Penrith Rugby Club issues rallying cry

    Penrith’s festive fixtures kicked in touch by coronavirus

    Penrith AFC lose out on COVID Cup win

    Penrith AFC lose out on COVID Cup win

    Workington Reds win derby as Penrith AFC wait for league season ruling

    Workington Reds win derby as Penrith AFC wait for league season ruling

    Mark Donovan takes well earned break after Grand Tour debut

    Mark Donovan takes well earned break after Grand Tour debut

    Penrith AFC games cancelled for another two weeks

    Penrith AFC games cancelled for another two weeks

  • Farming
    • All
    • Red Shepherdess
    NFU president joins campaign to save Newton Rigg

    NFU president joins campaign to save Newton Rigg

    Cumbria YFC create video to support Newton Rigg

    Cumbria YFC create video to support Newton Rigg

    CLA director Dorothy Fairburn to retire

    CLA director Dorothy Fairburn to retire

    Optimism and record numbers at Kirkby Stephen mart

    Optimism and record numbers at Kirkby Stephen mart

    Veganuary? You’d be better going back to basics….

    Veganuary? You’d be better going back to basics….

    Penrith Angling Association wins £7,500 for beck pollution incident

    Local fishing allowed under lockdown rules

    Penrith Angling Association wins £7,500 for beck pollution incident

    Fishing banned during lockdown

    ‘Drop and go’ introduced at Cumbria’s livestock marts

    ‘Drop and go’ introduced at Cumbria’s livestock marts

    ‘Huge relief’ for farmers as trade deal is agreed

    ‘Huge relief’ for farmers as trade deal is agreed

  • Property
  • Obituaries
  • Nostalgia
  • Recruitment
  • Photosales
  • Subscribe
No Result
View All Result
Cumberland and Westmorland Herald
No Result
View All Result
Home News

Calls for probe as axe falls on more than 40 Penrith trees

by CWH
7 December 2020
in News, Featured
A A
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
Ali Ross with the cut down tree trunks

An Eden councillor is calling for an investigation to determine how the destruction of 40 trees in a Penrith wildlife haven was allowed to take place and whether policies need tightening up to prevent it happening again.   

Ali Ross (Green, Penrith) has strongly criticised the mass felling of trees and clearance of a “valuable wildlife habitat” along Gilwilly Lane — the footpath which connects Gilwilly Road and Bowerbank Way on the Gilwilly industrial estate. 

“This work occurred at the beginning of last week, which is National Tree Week,” said Ms Ross.   

She explained that she was planting trees on farmland in Matterdale on Monday morning, when she received a call from a distressed occupant of one of the units neighbouring the footpath. 

“The caller reported that the chainsaws and chipping machinery were active as she spoke, and she appealed for my help to try to stop the wholesale destruction.

“I spent much of the rest of Monday afternoon and Tuesday morning urgently trying to find out who was responsible and how to stop the felling.

“This wasn’t easy as so many officers are now working from home, and county council numbers are not being answered.

“By the time I got through to the right person, most of the trees had been felled — but at least the remaining few were saved and just trimmed back. 

“When I went to see the site on Tuesday afternoon, I felt sick to my stomach.

“I counted at least 40 tree stumps, many of which were mature trees, and the scrub and undergrowth was literally scoured back to bare soil. This would have provided habitat for insects, birds and small mammals — including hedgehogs.”

Ms Ross reported that, from what she could determine, members of the Industrial BID on Gilwilly had reported that overhanging trees were causing problems, dropping leaves into business yards, and had requested that they be trimmed back to the fence line. 

“This appears to have been interpreted as an instruction to clear the land back to the fence line from the footpath.

“The result is the loss of a small but significant corridor of wildlife habitat that connected the green area of allotments on Gilwilly Road to Thacka Beck Nature Reserve north of Bowerbank Way.

“It is such a supreme irony that this fiasco has occurred during National Tree Week, when people all over the country are planting trees to help address the climate and ecological emergency,” said Ms Ross.

Castletown resident Ken Harper said he was going to be contacting the county council to find out what had gone wrong and ask why the community had not been informed prior to any work commencing.

“There’s all this national and international talk about saving the planet and planting trees and these lot go ahead cut these trees down,” said Mr Harper.

Sam Morris, chairman of Penrith Industrial BID, said he could confirm works carried out on the footpath at Gilwilly Lane were undertaken by Cumbria County Council using their own contractors, as they are the authority responsible for maintaining the area in question.

He said Penrith Industrial BID had requested maintenance to be carried out following several expressions of concern from businesses. “Unfortunately because the area in question has not been maintained for a number of years, it is now apparent that Cumbria County Council have had to undertake a far larger amount of work than expected to bring these areas in line with the standards it should have been originally held to,” said Mr Morris.

It is understood the level of clearance was deemed necessary on grounds of public safety as the trees had disease.

There were also dead dangerous self-seeding trees, which over time had grown uncontrolled, and, in some cases, had been cut back by owners of adjacent properties where branches were overhanging. When these trees died they became unstable and were liable to come down.

“It is my understanding that Cumbria County Council will be carrying out new planting along the footpath in place of the trees that have had to be removed, and please be assured that we will be applying pressure on the council to ensure that this happens,” said Mr Morris.

A spokesman for Cumbria County Council said the authority was aware of the concerns and will discuss them directly with the complainant.

“The schedule and extent of these maintenance works was agreed in advance of work commencing,” said the county council spokesman.

Previous Post

Legendary Everest mountaineer Doug Scott dies aged 79

Next Post

New team set up to help businesses with EU transition

No Result
View All Result

Stay connected

Facebook Twitter Instagram

Most popular

Coronavirus

943 more coronavirus cases diagnosed in Cumbria

18 January 2021
First COVID-19 death in four days recorded at North Cumbria Integrated Care Trust

Nine new coronavirus deaths at North Cumbria Integrated Care Trust

18 January 2021
Storm Christoph on way to batter Cumbria

Storm Christoph on way to batter Cumbria

18 January 2021
NFU president joins campaign to save Newton Rigg

NFU president joins campaign to save Newton Rigg

18 January 2021
Cumbria YFC create video to support Newton Rigg

Cumbria YFC create video to support Newton Rigg

18 January 2021
Man who brandished two shotguns at birthday party told to expect jail term

Pensioner spared prison for historical sex assault on boy

18 January 2021
Cumberland and Westmorland Herald Logo
14 King Street
Penrith
Cumbria
CA11 7AH

Phone: 01768 862313
Email: news@cwherald.com

Registered in England no: 33217
VAT registration number: 256271948

Explore

  • News
  • Sport
  • Farming
  • Property
  • Obituaries
  • Nostalgia
  • Your view
  • The Raven

Useful links

  • Contact us
  • Recruitment
  • Photosales
  • Digital edition
  • Advertise
  • Subscribe
  • About us

Follow us on

© Barrnon Media Limited 2020

Terms & Conditions / Privacy Policy / Cookie Policy

This website and its associated newspaper are members of the Independent Press Standards Organisation
IPSO Logo
No Result
View All Result
  • News
  • Sport
  • Farm and Countryside
    • Red Shepherdess
  • Property
  • Obituaries
  • Nostalgia
  • Recruitment
  • The Raven
  • more
    • Photo sales
    • Subscribe
    • About us
    • Contact us

© 2020 Cumberland & Westmorland Herald