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By CHARLOTTE CHAMBERS
 

Objectors in front of the poplar trees that Network Rail is to cut down
Rail crash fears mean estate loses battle to save trees

TREES that have sheltered an estate from railway noise for 50 years are to be chopped down next week despite residents’ frantic attempts to save them.
Network Rail says the diseased poplar trees on its land next to West Hampstead Tube station are in danger of toppling over and could cause a train crash.
But residents at nearby Broadfield estate in Broadhurst Gardens claim that healthy trees are being axed along with diseased ones because it will be more cost-effective.
Campaigners managed to have the poplars covered by a Tree Preservation Order last year, but this no longer applies because the trees are judged to be diseased.
One of the campaigners, Joanne Bush, said: “We are devastated. They’re glorious trees that look splendid in the summer and are a haven for wildlife.
“We’re just questioning how all of a sudden they’re all diseased. We feel Network Rail is doing it to be cost-effective”.
Shocked residents were told by Network Rail last Monday that all 28 of the 40-foot poplar trees and a horse chestnut must be axed – despite a report last year by an independent tree specialist stating that only 18 of the trees were diseased.
George Telfer, 84, who has lived on the Broadfield estate for 37 years, feels the trees have been left to decay.
He said: “Those trees have been here since before the First World War. Some are in a bad state, but they have been neglected. Trees should be looked after.”
A Network Rail spokeswoman said: “Safety is our top priority and we have an obligation to protect the railway and those living beside it.
“An independent report has shown that, sadly, many of these trees are ageing and diseased and need to be taken down as soon as possible.
“As a gesture of goodwill we have offered to re-plant 30 trees at this location, in association with the council.”
Ten of the trees are not diseased but have suffered damage.
She said: “They could be left, but would have to be extensively pruned to fence level. They would just be sticks. They would be over-exposed and open to be blown over by the wind.
“To remove any potential danger all the trees have to come down.”
She added: “We have already commissioned an entirely independent report which has been backed up by tree experts within Network Rail, our contractors and the council.
“To delay the work any further would be irresponsible when the trees have been repeatedly condemned as dangerous.”
Work will start on Saturday.
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