Some of the trees in Chester Terrace Gardens that will be cut down

A DECISION to axe 20 mature trees in a conservation area is “without justification” and fundamentally flawed, say residents of an exclusive terrace facing Regent’s Park.

Planning chiefs approved an application by the Crown Estate Paving Commission to cut down the trees and shrubs in Chester Terrace Gardens to make space for a 21-tonne excavator it said it needs to rebuild a retaining wall.

The Commission says it will replace the trees during the works to a 215-metre listed wall that it says has been damaged by root growth and “fluctuations in the clay”. But the project has led to claims that the council is failing to follow its own environmental policies.

Michael Webber. from the Chester Terrace Residents Association said: “The evidence conclusively shows that the proposed fundamentally flawed CEPC tree replanting plans, approved by Camden, seriously damages the level of visual amenity, air quality, biodiversity, health and well-being for the public.

“The Chester Terrace Gardens are less than 80m from Albany Street and less than 470m from Marylebone Road, both of which have some of the highest levels of airborne particulate pollution in the Camden borough and are neighbouring the densely populated Regent’s Park Estate. The site is also less than 80m from Christchurch Primary, a school on Albany Street.”

He added: “The Camden-approved replanting scheme shows that the proposed new trees will not provide the same level of amenity, ecological and heritage value as the existing ones do.

“The existing trees are an important characteristic of the gardens, their loss and insufficient replacements are considered to be harmful and there are no public benefits that will outweigh this harm.”

Mr Webber said it would take 40-45 years for the proposed replacement trees to reach the height, breadth and maturity of the existing trees.

The application, which has been approved by council officials rather than a committee of councillors, says that alternatives had been considered, adding: “Whilst the loss of the specified trees from the site will visually alter its character, the wider area contains a significant number of trees and therefore the character of this area is considered to be sufficiently upheld.”

The terrace has the longest unbroken facade in Regent’s Park and gets its name from one of the titles of George IV before he became King. It includes John Nash House, a former home of the disgraced politician John Profumo.

Several objections were lodged with the council from residents including architect John Seifert, UCL professor Francesca Cordeiro, and a series of residents holding powerful positions in the world of finance and property investment.

There were also objections from The Regent’s Park Conservation Area Advisory Committee, the Gardens Trust charity and the Primrose Hill Conservation Area Advisory Committee.

A CEPC spokesperson said it had consulted three independent structural engineers, including two to review the work of the first, but “the conclusion is that to stabilise the structure, deep foundations are required due to the underlying soil conditions. “Such foundations entail excavation adjacent to the existing wall, which is where most of the trees to be removed are located.”

A Camden Council spokesperson said: “We do everything we can to protect and plant new trees. Granting planning permission for the Crown Estate to fell trees at Chester Terrace Gardens was not a decision we took lightly and involved extensive examination of surveys and technical studies, as well as taking into account of the views of local residents.

“Our team accepted that to safely restore the Grade II listed walls at Chester Terrace – itself a heritage asset protected by policy – and due to the position of some of the trees, it was necessary for a number of them to be removed, but we want to reassure residents that all trees will be replaced and the Crown Estate will also be planting two additional trees in the area.”