St Marks tree felling: Protestors call for elms to be saved

Plans to cut down 25 trees that are part of a registered woodland in St Marks are an outrage, protestors have said.

About 50 people gathered outside the House of Keys to call for the felling of the trees to be stopped.

A landowner was granted permission for the plans to improve access to properties on Braaid Road in May.

Environment Minister Geoffrey Boot said the window of opportunity to appeal the decision had been "missed".

Once a decision has been reached over an application, people have 21 days to object to the ruling.

Mr Boot said he was "engaging with the applicants" to see if an alternative could be found, but the department had no power to overturn the approval.

Concerns over the future of the elm tree tunnel were highlighted by the Manx Wildlife Trust last week, and an online petition to save them has attracted more than 38,000 signatures.

Protestor Jenny Smith said people should not "keep destroying nature for convenience", while Katarine Watling said she had joined the protest because "the trees can't speak for themselves".

"We're in an environmental climate crisis and the Isle of Man's considering felling trees that don't need to be felled, it's an outrage," she added.

Hugh Jones said alternatives should be considered to improving access to the properties, including putting in a speed limit on the road.

Steve Hull branded the planning process "flawed", while Nicholas Rice said it was important for planners to "understand that trees are very important to the future of the island".

Carolyn Chapman said it was a "travesty" that people had to resort to protesting to save the trees when "we all thought that they were protected".

Mr Boot told the House of Keys planning consent to fell the trees "overrides any registration" of the woodland.

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