Trees along Adelaide Road that are being cut down 

• ALL the trees along Adelaide Road (up to two metres from the road) are being cut down this week on the whole stretch of the Chalk Farm embankment woodland (a Site of Importance for Nature Conservation SINC) adjoining Adelaide Road Adelaide Nature Reserve.

This is all the trees visible from the road (because the embankment slopes sharply down to the railway). It is true some of these trees might have needed felling when HS2 excavated a large section of the embankment to create its Adelaide vent shaft and car park to serve its tunnels underneath.

The plan was for HS2’s enabling works contractor to do a thorough biodiversity survey of the woodland including bird-nesting this year before any felling occurred next year.

However the tree clearance contractor told me he had just walked the site looking for bird nests and didn’t notice any. He also said HS2 and Camden said they needed to do this current clearance as an emergency because of safety issues… for example, possible branches falling on the pavement.

I walk, cycle and drive along this section of the road several times every day and have done so for many years. I have never seen branches on the pavement… which anyway is infrequently used. There was no emergency justifying this felling.

As representative of Belsize Park and Primrose Hill on HS2’s Euston Community Representatives Group ECRG and on Camden HS2 Association of Residents’ Groups, I can testify that there has been no consultation engagement about this current so-called “emergency” tree clearance, and it has never been the subject of negotiation with the community at HS2’s tree panel meetings.

We were hoping to save many of the particular trees that are being felled because of their importance to the streetscape. I argued this to the House of Commons select committee and explained why this woodland is special.

We are disappointed that this “emergency” clearance work is also being carried out in Camden’s name as well as HS2’s. Another example of how little Camden Council are “shoulder-to-shoulder with residents on HS2”.

JEFF TRAVERS
Chair, Adelaide
Community Garden Club