Armada Way: Work to clear more than 100 felled trees from Plymouth city centre delayed

Work to clear the trees is due to start on 27 April. Credit: BPM Media

Work to clear more than 100 felled trees from Armada Way in Plymouth city centre has been delayed because of potential nesting birds.

The work to start clearing away the trees and stumps was due to start tomorrow evening (27 April).

Plymouth City Council announced on 25 April that an independent ecologist was commissioned to review the branches and fallen trees and stumps.

They found that a number of birds have been sighted singing, foraging or entering the area and have requested additional time to investigate further.

This is to ensure that these birds are not nesting on Armada Way, with nests hidden in the large stacks of felled trees.

Contractors began cutting down the trees in the city centre during the night. Credit: Michelle Lane

Assistant Chief Executive Giles Perritt, said: “Clearly this is disappointing – and frustrating – but we have to abide by the very clear instruction of the court following the injunction and ensure we are not breaking the law surrounding the protection of nesting birds.

“We were intending to carry out the clean-up work as soon as the trees were felled before we moved into the heart of the bird nesting season. The injunction stopped us doing this.

“As announced earlier this week, we had pencilled in that the clean-up work would hopefully start tomorrow. But that was subject to the ecologist methodology and discussion with the claimant.

"Given that these matters need to be considered carefully by our independent ecologist, particularly as we are now in the middle of the bird nesting season, we do not feel we are in a position to progress with the work tomorrow evening as we had hoped.

“We know that this will be disappointing to businesses, shoppers and residents. But we have no choice. To move forward we would be risking potential prosecution.”

The stump of a tree which has been chopped down in Armada Way. Credit: BPM Media

On the evening of 14 March, Plymouth City Council ordered contractors to fell a total of 110 trees to make way for a multi-million-pound regeneration project.

In total 110 trees were felled, but an injunction served at 1am meant the operation was halted, preventing a further 19 trees from being cut down.

A High Court judge in London upheld the injunction to protect the remaining trees on 24 March.

A new date for the clean-up work has not yet been decided.

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