Lib Dem-led council spends £10k to cut down ‘important' palm trees
A Lib Dem-led council has been criticised for spending £10,000 to cut down two 'really important' palm trees on a seaside promenade.
The 35ft-tall trees were planted on the historic Esplanade in Weymouth, Dorset, in 2012, but town officials claimed they grew into a trip hazard after their roots made the surrounding ground uneven.
They will be replaced with two smaller 'cabbage palm' trees instead, officials said.
But the proposal has angered residents who said their removal would cause 'reputational damage' to Weymouth.
Dennis Clark, who lives nearby, said the trees are 'really important to the town' and a 'valuable feature'.
He added: 'I spoke with some of my friends about the palms and I was struck by the clarity of feeling about them
'The trees advertise and promote Weymouth and I believe they are an iconic feature of pride and quality for seaside towns.'
Councillor Helen Toft also said the removal of the trees would damage the town's reputation and called the decision to fell them 'wrong'.
Others took to social media to criticise the £10,000 proposed cost to remove the trees, branding it 'a waste of money'.
Christopher Bates said: 'Shouldn't council taxpayers be asked if this is an expense they want to have?'
He suggested the council should auction the palm trees to go towards raising money to pay for the work.
James Williams called the price of removal 'ridiculous', adding 'leave them be and stop dreaming up unnecessary projects'.
Another said: 'Del Boy would be proud to sell you a couple of trees for that sort of cash.'
A Weymouth town council spokesman said leaving the palms trees as they are will only increase the risk and cost.
They added: 'The trees have grown significantly since they were put in over a decade ago and are now causing structural damage to the promenade which needs to be managed now before any further repairs are needed.
'Councillors agreed they should be replaced with palms like those found further along the promenade which would still have visual impact. The stonework planters would also be repaired.
'Other palms along the seafront would be managed in the same way in future years.'
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