A DOWNPATRICK councillor has expressed concern about the felling of a number of trees at two locations in the town.
Trees have been cut down at the Killough Road at an area known locally as The Planting, while a large tree in the grounds of the Downshire Hospital was felled at an area where work is continuing on a major sewer project.
Councillor Cadogan Enright said he is trying to discover why the trees at the Killough Road in particular were felled. He said if the trees were not diseased or in a dangerous condition, he is at a loss to understand why they were cut down.
“I do not see the benefit of felling these particular trees and hope whoever was responsible will be able to explain the reason for doing so,” he continued.
The Downpatrick councillor believes the tree felled at the Downshire estate is around 100 years old and confirmed he has raised his concern about what happened with Down Council and South Eastern Trust officials.
A number of trees surrounding the former Downe Hospital site at Pound Lane in Downpatrick were cut down a number of weeks ago by tree surgeons, and councillor Enright is concerned about the impact of felling so many trees will have on the historic town.
He declared: “If this current trend isn’t halted, Downpatrick will no longer be a town surrounded with a crown of green hills and trees in all directions and we will all be the worse off.”
Councillor Enright confirmed he plans to raise the felling of trees at the Killough Road and Downshire estate with the new Newry, Mourne and Down Council which is formally launched on April 1.
He wants the new super council’s Planning and Building Control Department to challenge what he described as the “unnecessary felling of specimen trees in an unthinking way during the course of any development.”
The Downpatrick councillor said many people are concerned at what has happened in Downpatrick over recent weeks and want steps taken to ensure remaining trees which are an integral part of the town’s character are protected.
A resident who contacted the Recorder described The Planting area as a location of “special interest” and expressed concern that so many mature trees had been felled.
“The area where the trees were located has always been a place where you would have seen wildlife and spotted some lovely birds,” the resident added.
The Department of Environment said the trees felled at the Killough Road were not covered by a Tree Preservation Order. A spokeswoman for the government department confirmed late yesterday afternoon that the trees at the Killough Road “had no statutory protection under any planning designation.”