Complaints over ‘brutal’ tree chopping in Doncaster

Trees planted roadside on The Grove on Wheatley Hills were all stripped of their branches and leaves, residents noticed last month.

The trees can be seen stretching from Sandall Rise down to Thornhill Avenue.

Local resident Wendy contacted the Free Press with her concerns: “What the hell have Doncaster Council done to our trees? The beautiful trees that are on The Grove, Wheatley Hills have been decimated and have had every branch cut off.

“Why be so brutal, walked down there today, hardly a bird in sight, one dove sat telephone pole and a pair of magpies sat in one that has luckily kept its branches so far. So much for conservation.”

While trees are routinely stripped to avoid overgrowth, concerns are raised over the extremity of these measures.

In response, Dan Swaine, who is the Director of Economy and Environment at Doncaster City Council, said: “As per the Council’s tree policy, routine maintenance of the 101 trees along The Grove is common practice and is undertaken every 5 years (last completed in 2017) as part of our schedule.”

He continued: “Historically, we now have to manage the trees as ‘pollards’ whereby the crown is removed every 5 years to avoid the upper branches of the trees becoming weaker and snapping as they get heavier.

“We also have a duty to maintain safety of highway users and prevent damage to vehicles parked there.”