Plans to uproot cherry blossom trees from along the Newry Canal Bank must be clarified and justified. That’s the call from Sinn Fein’s Charlie Casey who challenged council officials about the proposal during the latest monthly meeting of the council. Speaking afterwards the Newry Town councillor described the trees as, “one of the nicest features in Newry both when they are in full bloom and during the winter when they are lit up for Christmas. While the people of Newry have welcomed plans to open up the canal bank there is a real public concern that this may be at the expense of this natural feature,” he said. And he told the Democrat that there seems to be confusion as to the reason for the removal of the trees. “Initially councillors were told that it was to facilitate the work of the contractor during the Public Realm Scheme,” he said. “Now we have been told that all of the trees are diseased and must be replaced with mature ones. I have asked that a full report on the condition of the trees be brought to the next council meeting so that councillors can satisfy ourselves that such as drastic measure is justified and I will be asking if the cost of their removal and replacement has been budgeted for in the contract. A council spokesman said the trees are being replaced rather than removed. “As outlined during the consultation process on the concept design for the scheme, replacement for the existing cherry trees is and integral part of the proposed Newry City Linkages Public Realm Scheme,” he said. “While some cherry trees are in good condition others show signs of Canker and some have died and have been removed over the years. However the main reason for their replacement is that they and their root structure are tied into the existing boundary wall foundations that are to be replaced with a Maritime Railing along the length of the canal and to allow for the creation of a broader pathway. As part of the proposed scheme new mature Hazel Trees matching those previously installed along Albert Quay will be placed along the length of the new path, closer to the road edge, from Dublin Bridge to Sugar Island Bridge. These new trees will be fitted with LED lights for usage over the Christmas period.
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