Protest over council's plan to cut down 35 trees at beauty spot

Protesters have called for the council to halt plans to cut down 35 trees at a popular beauty spot.

Cheshire East Council is looking to remove the trees at Poynton Pool after a flood report found the reservoir did not meet modern standards.

It said losing the trees would be "unfortunate" but the plans were in the interests of public safety.

Campaigners in Poynton have called for an alternative flood resilience plan which involves the loss of fewer trees.

Poynton has faced a number of flooding incidents in recent years but campaigners said the area around Poynton Pool had not been affected.

The council is seeking to remove the trees from a stretch of the bank between Poynton Pool and the A523 London Road North.

Originally, about 80 trees had been at risk of removal - with 44 trees to be removed and a further 37 at risk depending on their root structure.

But a revamped proposal highlighted at a meeting in June said 35 trees had now been identified for removal.

Campaigner Lauren Forth said the tree felling would "impact the people of Poynton and the animals and wildlife we're trying to protect".

She said the council should "pause, think more clearly, work with us, to come up with a solution that makes sense for everybody and most importantly the local environment".

Councillor Lee Podmore from Poynton Town Council said it was "obviously asking Cheshire East to review the proposals and come up with a solution that won't spoil this very important place".

The chair of Cheshire East Council's economy and growth committee, Councillor Mark Goldsmith, said the proposed scheme meant that "unfortunately" some trees would be lost as the council had to "act in the interest of public safety."

A planning application for the scheme is set to be submitted later this summer.

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