Lambeth Council is cutting down trees just to make way for festivals, critics claim

A council planning to cut down 22 trees in a London park is doing so to make it easier to host events, critics claim.

Lambeth Council says trees in south London’s Brockwell Park are dead or dying and need to be cut down to reduce the risk of them falling on people.

Another 22 trees in the park, which were found to have stable trunks, will be worked on to make them safe but remain wildlife habitats.

Any trees with nesting birds will be fenced off and work will be delayed until the fall when the nesting season is over.

The park is home to the Lambeth Country Show as well as music festivals including Wide Awake and Mighty Hoopla.

Residents opposed to the plan have launched a petition, saying the cuts are “timed to ease ticketed summer events”.

In an open letter, detractors of the plan said they first heard of the proposals last week and their response was “one of shock”.

The letter says: “There has been no formal consultation, no proper notification and as far as we know no full survey of these trees has been carried out – this was not on anyone’s radar.

“This rapid decision-making process, especially during the nesting season, is alarming and needs to be re-evaluated.”

They said some of the live trees have few “obvious” defects, while others with more serious problems can be managed with remedial work.

There are some trees that “must be removed for safety,” they acknowledged.

The letter continues: “It is not legal to cut down trees that are used for nesting.

“While this may be mitigated by the need for overriding public safety considerations, we do not believe that these were adequately justified, nor that alternatives such as fenced exclusion zones were not considered.”

Critics have called for a moratorium on the work until the decision is appealed and fully justified.

This justification must explain what other options have been considered.