Dear All
I know that some of you have been shocked today to see most of the cherry trees just to the west of Portobello Town Hall being chopped down.
This is all part of the Phase 2 improvements to Portobello High Street which have been presented to, discussed by and agreed by both Portobello Amenity Society and Portobello Community Council over the last months. The Spring 2006 edition of the "Portobello Reporter" also carried a short article on this work.
PAS have a tree expert of national standing and he agreed with the Council's view of the existing trees. Thus, all but the single biggest of the cherry trees are being cut down. These three were diseased, not in good condition, had been damaged by renewal/repair of services and were lifting the pavement. They also hid the shops behind. Cherry trees are undoubtedly nice when in blossom but produce a lot of foliage which gives rise to a slip hazard when wet. In the autumn they produce berries which also fall to the ground and present a slip hazard. They also attract insects.
It's true that this would also apply to the cherry tree to be kept - but it is in far better health than the others.
The three apple trees to replace the cherry trees will also flower, if not so spectacularly as the cherry trees, and will allow more light onto the pavement cafe and shops here.
By the Bank of Scotland, the current tree layout doesn't really suit the creation of a civic space here as the trees are dotted all about. The proposal is to replant three of the Ginko trees here in Rosefield Park. New Ginko trees will take their place in a line with an additional 4 apple trees. The trees in front of the bank will line up with those in front of the shops.
A plan of all the work involved in Phase 2 is available to view on the noticeboard in front of the Bank of Scotland. Stuart Smith, one of the officers who have worked closely with local community organisations and businesses on this, has just given me a couple of boards relating to this work which I'll bring along to tonight's meeting of Portobello Community Council. I understand that the library had a few for a few weeks but don't really have the space to keep them - so I'll maybe see if I can place them in the window of the Labour Rooms or Susan Deacon's office so that you can view them at your leisure or when you're having a fag while drinking at Forester's!
I've pasted in below a few bits and pieces of information relating to this which Stuart Smith has forwarded to me. His colleague Simon Lievesley has also been down in Portobello today.
Finally, the bus stops on the north side of Portobello High Street opposite the Town Hall are being split with buses heading to Joppa stopping at the bus stop nearest Bath Street and those turning right into Brighton Place now stopping just to the east of Beach Lane. This will allow such buses room to get in the right hand lane in Portobello High Street to turn into Brighton Place and, as a consequence, the pavement near the top of Bath Street will be slightly narrowed to allow two separate lanes of traffic here and thus hopefully preventing the current traffic hold-ups at this junction.
Lawrence
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Portobello High Street 6565
Phase 2
Existing Cherry Trees –7no Prunus avium, Gean (Tags 857-863) - North side footway outside shops
Proposal
To replace trees with 4 trees of a different species in a row further away from buildings. This would open up views to the shops from the road and create a large space in front of the shops, which they could use during good weather.
The proposal is part of a larger project to improve/reinstate pedestrian areas in Portobello High Street outside the main shopping areas, as part of the Council’s Town Centre Improvement Programme. The aims of the project are to improve safety, make the area more accessible and provide a cleaner and more pleasant environment for pedestrians, shoppers and businesses.
Reasons for this proposal
Create an area with a sense of place. It is suggested that consideration be given to replacing the existing trees in the two large pedestrian areas as this will help to link these two areas together.
The trees could be aligned with the road to create an avenue affect and thus helping to link the two areas.
Improve visibility and reduce dark areas to allow passing trade to see local shops and facilities. The existing trees in both areas are of an inappropriate species for urban street trees planted in a footpath. Prunus trees have large spreading low canopies, which cause areas of considerable shade / darkness, making it difficult to view the shop frontages/name signs from the road. Reducing the number of trees, changing their species to a fastigate (columnar) shaped tree and moving them closer to the road will improve the visibility of the shops and reduce areas of darkness.
Also, moving the trees nearer the road will create a divide between passing pedestrians and thus provide a larger space outside the shops, which they could use.
Improve pedestrian safety. Rootheave causing considerable damage to surrounding footway in 6no of the trees. Prunus have shallow roots that with age tend to cause this problem to footways. Pavement disruption causes safety issues/ trip hazards for pedestrians, and liability issues for Council.
Other Factors
When these trees were planted there was not such a considerable number of underground services (pipes and cables). The tree roots are likely to have been damaged or restricted by public utilities. Therefore the stability of these trees may be undermined, although this is very unlikely as cherry trees tend to have strong vigorous root systems. New trees would be planted ensuring their root systems are well protected and the trees would be well anchored in the ground.
Pros/Cons
- Considerable maturity of trees
Trees cause areas of considerable shade/darkness
Add scale to streetscape
Rootheave causing damage to surrounding pavement
Well liked by local people
Canker and Gummosis in 4 of the trees
Seasonal Blossom die back in 2 of the trees
Poor shape in 4 of the trees
Potential Options
- Remove trees and replant
Retain trees and create distinct area with ground cope around trees to alleviate problems with safety for pedestrians caused by root heave. Prune back and thin out tree canopies to lighten up area under trees and improve the visibility of the shop frontages.
