The Gazette | News | TREES CHOPPED DOWN FOR NEW LUXURY HOMES

Monday, 1st December, 2008

Published: Thursday, 28th August, 2008 15:30

TREES CHOPPED DOWN FOR NEW LUXURY HOMES

By Eitan Grant

AN angry villager has hit out after dozens of hundred-year-old trees were felled to make way for exclusive mansions.

Developers have moved in and started to transform stables on an estate between Erskine and Inchinnan into eight luxury houses.

But a local resident who lives nearby is claiming that at least one of the trees on the building site has been damaged despite being protected by a tree preservation order.

Liz Stevenson has watched the diggers move in and is appalled at the destruction of a row of century old Beech trees.

She said: “It is a shame that these magnificent trees have to be chopped down. One of them has a preservation order protecting it for the future but it looks like it has

been damaged and I hope that it will survive. It’s so sad. We criticise people in other countries for not caring about the environment but we are just as bad over here.”

A property developer started clearing the land at the former Department of Agriculture and Fisheries cattle breeding centre two years ago.

Campaigning Liz says she is not against the development but just wants to stop the unnecessary destruction of the environment.

She added: “I have spoken to the council about this and written to Alex Salmond expressing my concern.”

Planning permission for an additional house at the Southbar estate has been refused as it would mean chopping down the protected tree. This decision is the subject of an ongoing appeal.

Erskine councillor Iain Nicolson said: “The issue of the damage done to the substantial tree has been raised with the head of planning. All of the Southbar Estate was covered by a tree preservation order when concern arose at the lack of maintenance and care by the owners believed to be a major housebuilder.”

Development manager for Drum Homes Property Group, Pamela Doherty, said: “We have not breached the tree preservation order or the terms of our planning consent. The preservation order was granted on that tree one month ago but we have been working on this site for over a year. We consult with a tree surgeon during the development process and it’s in our interests to have beautiful surroundings.”

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