Hull Council to fell dozens of mature trees from park as protestors fight to save them

Yellow ribbons have gone up on trees earmarked for felling as part of the Queens Gardens revamp Picture: David Bean

More than 2,500 people have signed a petition calling on Hull Council to stop the felling of trees which form the “lungs” of the city centre. It comes as work started on the first stage of the £11.7m redevelopment of Queens Gardens.

Over the weekend yellow ribbons were tied around many of them, in part a protest to the felling but also to the invasion of Ukraine.

Campaigners David Bean and Michelle Coldham say new trees take years to become as useful “carbon sinks” as their older examples. Among the 114 earmarked to come down are the towering 22-metre poplars which create a central formal avenue.

All the trees in red are earmarked for felling

Planted in 1961 as part of the original plans by Sir Frederick Gibberd, who remodelled the gardens after World War Two, they were judged as being in good health and having up to 21 to 30 years left in a survey commissioned by the council.

Mr Bean said the city centre was already lacking in mature trees and it made no sense to further reduce the mature tree stock “when all that is needed is a general pruning and tidy up”.

He added: “Trees provide abilities to soak up carbon dioxide and emit oxygen and also support diverse habitats.

“Until the new trees reach a certain life and standard which could take 20 to 30 years we will have lost a wonderful asset. The gardens will look sterile without the beauty of mature trees.

The 22-m high poplars will be replaced by even higher dawn redwoods

It’s all about (council leader) Daren Hale wanting these big outside venues and opening it up. But he’s not taking into account what the people want.”

Coun Hale told The Yorkshire Post the trees were “within five years of the end of their lifespan” and they would be replaced by new ones up to eight metres tall. “The idea we are putting in whips or saplings is nonsense,” he said.

In a statement the council claimed most had to go because they’d been planted on the boundary walls and these had become unstable as the roots expanded. “The walls are now in such a poor condition that they need to be rebuilt and the only way to deliver this work is to remove the trees,” it added.

Fastgrowing dawn redwood will be planted in the place of the poplars at nine to 11m tall. The council say they have a longer lifespan.

The council wants to "open up" the gardens in order to create more space to hold larger events and increase tourism

Along Guildhall Road, where trees were cleared a year ago, the council says they will plant “semi-mature” species that will provide autumnal colour.

They said “whilst any tree felling is regrettable, it is required in this instance to deliver urgent safety improvements, restore the quality of the hard and soft landscaping across the space and enable the gardens to be managed more sustainably into the future.