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Ignore tree protests and sort out this messy park
• HAS Rosie Waterhouse actually used Duncan Terrace Gardens over the last three years (This plan to chop down trees is sheer vandalism, February 15)? If she had I cannot see how she could have missed the number of public consultations and meetings that have been advertised on the park gates.
If Ms Waterhouse had attended any of the meetings or consultations in the park she would know that it is not planned to concrete over the park or remove all of the trees.
Islington Council has consulted extensively over its proposals for the park and all local residents have had an opportunity to engage in this process. Our elected officials have made a decision, having followed proper procedure. They should not now fail to act on it because one vocal individual has decided she does not like it.
My family and I will be very disappointed if the planned revamp does not go ahead. The park has been a messy work in progress for three years and we should not miss another summer planting season. Have the courage of your convictions, Islington. Let’s get on with it.
JENNY BIRRELL
Elia Street, N1
• A great deal of information has been provided by the council about its proposed improvements to Duncan Terrace Gardens.
There have been consultation meetings on-site and numerous opportunities to discuss the proposals in detail. In this case it is not reasonable to complain about lack of consultation.
We share the views of Jill Nicholls and the Duncan Terrace Association that it is high time the gardens were improved. A good balance is needed between the fine trees, which will remain, the shrubbery which needs some clearance, and giving space for other plants to grow. There will be better-designed pathways and the whole area, which is an important green space for this part of the borough, will be given a badly-needed lift. We hope money can be found to repair and paint the railings, which clearly have not been touched for many years.
We are confident that Greenspace will do as good a job here as it has at Islington Green, which is now a real asset. Let us hope there is no more delay and that the Duncan Terrace Gardens work gets under way as soon as possible.
ERIC SORENSEN
Chairman, Angel Association
Sudeley Street, N1
• THERE seems to be much misunderstanding and some alarm about the planned redevelopment of Duncan Terrace Gardens.
Trees are very precious in this part of London. I was present at the public consultation and was much reassured by the Greenspace team that trees were to be preserved wherever possible. Only trees that were diseased or ones which were impeding the growth of those nearby would be removed.
Greenspace has labelled the trees that need, in its opinion, to be removed. Far from there being 20, there seems to be fewer than 10. Perhaps it would help if Greenspace added the reason why each of these trees has been selected for removal on the notices posted on them.
The gardens have been neglected for years. Surely, it was necessary to clear out some of the scrub and undergrowth that had remained untouched for years. There are plans to replace shrubs with more suitable varieties. This must be an improvement on the dark, dank and smelly vegetation that was struggling to exist beneath the trees.
As to consultation, I have now attended at least three public meetings in the gardens over the last two years. For this last one, households in the neighbouring streets were leafleted and a large notice was placed on the garden gates.
Obviously, not everyone is going to be 100 per cent delighted with the outcome and some compromise must prevail. I feel confident that Greenspace has set out to improve the gardens, not desecrate them. A calmer perspective is needed from all concerned.
ROLY HARRIS
Duncan Terrace, N1
• THE Tribune has covered well the lead-up to local realisation that the council planned to destroy 21 small trees on the New River walk towards City Road, though it never was an actual spat between Georgian-house residents on either side.
They were the only ones informed by notices on the gates, but there is now a temporary halt due to much wider protests when tree removal notices went up only two weeks ago.
I suspect this may be a much wider problem in London, though most of us thought that public land with trees was sacrosanct, especially in these days of environmental threat.
On Sunday when visiting Hampstead Heath, walking past the Lido we noticed a wide strip of land behind robust fencing had been totally cleared of small trees and shrubs, leaving only the largest trees. The public notice made the same kind of indecipherable arguments as Islington Greenspace team did when trying to justify our atrocity – such as being able to look in and out, which you can do already, and introducing light, which leads one to wonder how natural woodland manages with different-sized trees and shrubs.
We have had all these years of demonstrable peace and quiet at Duncan Terrace Gardens, even though so near the Angel. Now, it seems some warped minds who see Frankenstein monsters behind every bush have suddenly gained influence over the council. Locals are worried about the flowering cherries, which produce so much cheer in springtime along with the willows by what used to be the open river bringing fresh water to London.
On Monday, while visiting the gardens to ensure the chainsaws had not arrived I spoke to a young mother with her two children. She remarked that public land here was sparse, but that the same kind of clearance is happening in west and south Ealing.
I am making inquiries about a new law which makes councils liable for any criminal acts performed on their patch. Maybe this is another example of “better safe than sorry” health and safety silliness, which is going to lead to irreversible damage to rare areas of natural beauty in London.
AVIS (Saltsman) BALDRY
Gerrard Road, N1
• IS Islington Council profiting from the felling of mature trees?
The latest proposal to “remove” up to 20 trees in Duncan Terrace Gardens is insane and can’t be justified.
I notice two mature trees have been chopped down in Liverpool Road recently. The timber alone must be worth a lot of money. Or is the wood just thrown in a skip?
Z RIZVI
Barnsbury Road, N1
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