Trees to be felled in park after surveys

Three trees are set to be cut down in a park after they were found to be diseased, a council said

Before they are felled, surveys will be carried out on the trees in Brough Park, Leek, to make sure no bats or nesting birds are present, a Staffordshire Moorlands District Council spokesperson said.

If wildlife is found, the authority said arrangements would be made to allow birds to fledge or to ensure the safe and licensed removal of bats.

The council will plant more trees in the park as part of the wider redevelopment of MyActive Leek - a £17m revamp of Brough Park Leisure Centre.

Surveys will take place on two of the trees on 21 May and they will be chopped down the same day if there is no evidence of the wildlife.

The third tree will undergo three separate, extensive surveys and a provisional date for its removal is 18 June.

The council spokesperson added they would investigate whether timber from the felled trees could be reused and the authority was considering creating a sculpture trail through the park.

"Removing trees is always the last option but, unfortunately, in this case there is no alternative as these trees are diseased," said Mark Trillo, the authority's deputy chief executive.

"We'll be planting around four times as many new trees as the leisure centre redevelopment progresses and we've made some alterations to the original plans to ensure as many existing trees as possible are being retained."

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