The two London planes

• REGARDING the Egypt Exploration Society’s application to fell two magnificent 180-year old London plane trees adjacent to one of its buildings on Doughty Mews, recent work by our community group reveals there is a win-win solution to keep the trees, (Snakes? Curses? Egypt Exploration Society says it’s in peril… February 10).

Working with a renowned structural engineer and a highly skilled arboriculturalist we have discovered that there is no urgency to remove the trees, that the trees and building are highly interdependent, that felling the trees will require rebuilding works at the EES, and that felling risks destabilisation of nearby properties. These conclusions are very similar to the EES’s own engineer’s conclusions in the planning application.

Our engineer suggests that there are simple, cheap, short- to medium-term solutions to the major problem, that of plaster cracking inside the EES building. He is also working on a plan to retain the trees.

As the EES is planning a £2million redevelopment of its buildings to create a publicly-accessible archaeology centre, we now have the perfect opportunity to assure that the trees are kept for the future.

When our engineer’s work is ready we will approach the EES to discuss keeping the trees. The group is hoping for a very positive engagement with the EES.

If you wish to support our work and object to felling the trees please email planning@camden.gov.uk, quoting “Objection to 2022/0419/T”.

To remove such magnificent and robustly healthy trees would irrevocably alter a deeply cherished local landscape. Their impressive scale and changing seasonal foliage brings huge pleasure all year round.

For those without access to gardens the mental health benefits associated with views of nature in cities are clear; and have assumed a new importance in light of the pandemic.

And the trees have considerable ecological amenity. Their canopies are home to a wide variety of birds and their presence brings other wildlife into the area.

London planes are also exceptionally good at reducing pollution and removing toxins and vehicle-generated particulates from the air.

All this benefits a largely residential neighbourhood which also includes a nearby primary school, St George the Martyr, and Great Ormond Street children’s hospital.

EES concerns itself with the preservation of history. It is deeply saddening it seems determined to destroy a piece of living history that has taken generations to establish and contributes so greatly to the quality of life on its doorstep.

CANY ASH, CATH SLESSOR, DOMO BAAL, ELIZABETH SEWARD, GILLIAN DARLEY, MARK VAN HARMELEN, ROBERT SAKULA ET AL