THE SORRY SAGA OF SALTAIRE TREES

A Bradford Council Production

A reminder of what Victoria Road used to look like…

Just last month in fact.

The council had a plan that would mean they would fell the trees in the heart of Saltaire

They called it “Public Realm”

They leafleted the houses in Saltaire about the PR plans

◦The leaflets were marked ‘Dear resident’

◦They did not mail it personally but the council has all of the names and addresses of residents for council tax.

◦Non-personal mail like this gains a very low response rateunder 5% and usually under 1% becausepeople see it as ‘JUNK MAIL’

THE PLAN WAS MANAGED BY A NOMINATED AND SELECTED

STEERING GROUP CHAIRED BY A WIBSEY COUNCILLOR WHO IS THE

PORTFOLIO HOLDER FOR REGENERATION

This is the structure…

Reports to Val Slater Portfolio holder….

Reports to Project Board including

Val Slater

Steering group chaired by Cllr Val

Slater with no elected

representatives from the Ward

The plan involved felling trees… This has always led to controversy

◦Back in 2008 there had been a lot of trouble about felling trees but then the Council saidthe trees added

“character to the street”

But in 2014 it was decided that the leafy character could go in favour of how it was intended….

But it looks like Titus Salt quite liked trees. And when he was Mayor of Bradford he spoke out about pollution…

AIR POLLUTION IS A CONCERN IN BRADFORD… WE KNOW THAT

BECAUSE THE COUNCIL TOLD US.

Air pollution is to blame for one in 20 deaths in the district, and four areas of the city fall below european

pollution standards. Nitrogen oxide and other pollutants called fine particulates are known to cause strokes, heart attacks and low birth weight among babies.

That’s what Council Leader David green talked about in November 2014 in the Bradford T&A

Bradford council gave residents three options in the ‘consultation’◦Keep the trees and repair the paving ◦Fell all the trees

And the second option, which was replanting trees ‘as many as possible’This sounded like a good middle ground…

Option 2 was accompanied by pictures like this

But the thing is … Option 2 was but a dream or a fiction.

SHOULD PEOPLE HAVE FICTIONAL OPTIONS IN

FACT-BASED CONSULTATIONS?

Attendance wasn’t great

◦Post-its and emails were included alongside questionnaires as separate responses

◦The council said that 40% of residents in Saltaire wanted the trees felled…. They based that percentage primarily on 26 residents on Victoria Road.

◦Some Victoria Road residents describe the information they got at the consultation as….

“Woolly”

just like an Alpaca

Others say

“The council officer just came to the door and said the trees are diseased so they need to be felled.”

“we didn’t know they were going to chop the trees down all the way along Victoria Road!”

Others say….

“No one came into our business so we didn’t know until we saw them chopping down the tree outside”

THERE WAS NO ALTERNATIVE

Said residents and the council. The councillors used the Tree Report to back them up

The tree report said

◦Options are endless

◦Half could remain and half could be replanted.

◦That the paving and tree growth was due to management issues

◦That the trees contributed to the character, ambience and wellbeing of the community…

IT’S OKAY THE PETITIONERS THOUGHT. AS OFFICERS TOLD THEM THE NEXT STAGE WAS PLANNING SO OBJECTIONS

COULD BE MADE.

But as we heard last week at the packed out Heritage Forum

◦Planning does not need to follow planning processes….◦So no notices were put up.◦No objections were made as there was nothing official to object to….

A petition was raised. And then another… Each one got over 300 signatures.

◦ To undermine the petitioners, Cllr Val Slater said the committee were being misled as she had received a letter to the committee about a consultation that took place in 2008 where the majority wanted the trees to be felled.

◦We have asked for a copy of the letter.

◦ The author of the letter has said he did not send anything to the committee.

Nothing made a difference as the council had made plans to fell trees and put up road signs.

But even 6 year olds realise the impact of the decision.

So why didn’t our councillors listen, respond and widen consultation?

After all…◦ Saltaire is a World Heritage Site

◦ The ‘jewel in the crown’ apparently….

◦ So what about other residents across the city?

◦What about the visitors?

IF WE STAND FOR THIS… WHAT

NEXT?If you don’t stand for this - please email

SaltaireTrees@gmail.com & follow Facebook SaltaireTrees or Twitter

@SaltaireTrees