Our eagle eyed local tree champion, Stephanie, spotted that 2 mature fir trees had been removed from the BT Telephone Exchange building on Stoke Hill without planning permission.
Councillor John Goulandris was alerted and, having received little support from the Council’s Planning Enforcement team, escalated the matter to the Mayor’s office. Following various communications with BT, the company was persuaded to make a voluntary payment of £30,000 to be used to plant trees within a 1 mile radius of the Telephone Exchange. Additionally, 2 replacement trees have been planted at the Telephone Exchange.
Councillor Goulandris comments: ‘When I first heard of the incident, I was appalled and urgently raised this with the Mayor’s office. The loss of 2 mature trees and their replacement with small specimens is unfortunate, but the good news is that the £30,000 provided by BT will finance 30 additional trees for our area. This will ensure our local tree canopy continues to grow - great for the environment and the street scene.’
