A MOVE to plant trees at a popular country park which was described as “eco-vandalism” by experts is set to be reversed by a council’s new administration.
Colchester Council’s previous Tory-led cabinet had been accused of pushing on with a plan to plant trees on sensitive grassland.
The council had laid out its ambitions to reach net zero by 2030 with carbon-busting techniques, including the planting of 200,000 trees.
But members of the Colchester Natural History Society believe the council would destroy a wildflower meadow by planting more trees at High Woods Country Park.
The society’s chairman Dougal Urquhart, of East Mersea, referred to the plans as “eco vandalism”.
He said: “It was a shock to discover that the decision to plant these trees was made without our input by Colchester Council cabinet.”
READ MORE: Naturalist says Colchester Council plans are eco vandalism
The controversy surrounded the decision to plant the trees on a two and-a-half-hectare grassland meadow on the south facing slope of the country park.
Mr Urquhart believes this would significantly reduce wildlife numbers in the park.
The council’s new Lib Dem, Labour and Green coalition administration told the Gazette “it has listened to the public” and will be reversing the scheme.
Council leader David King said: “We understand the sensitivity of this, but what we won’t do is stop tree planting.
“Tree planting is the policy, it has its place, but what we agreed before when we were last here is that it is to be done sensitively.
“Our policy is tree planting which is sensitive to location, alive to the benefits of wider biodiversity and with those unchanged principles in mind we’re going to hold that.
“We’ve agreed as a cabinet we want to have fresh advice brought to us, we want to see what the options were when that decision was made and we want to revisit that.”
He added: “We have some wonderful ancient trees.
“The country park is a great place to enjoy nature including to walk along glorious tree lined paths.
“We want a way ahead that looks to plant well, in urban and country settings, to plant more where that works well, and to replace mature trees when they are lost to high winds and disease.”
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