COUNCILLORS have agreed to confirm preservation orders on two “irreplaceable” oak trees which stand in the way of a proposed care home for the disabled.
The trees stand in the grounds of a building owned by NHS Warrington at
Delenty Drive, Birchwood – and have twice been used by planners to justify refusing plans to redevelop the site.
But they were protected only by a temporary tree preservation orders which expire this month – and planning officers were anxious to make the orders permanent.
Plans were drawn up to demolish the existing building and replace it with a three-storey care facility for people with acquired brain injury, early onset dementia, strokes, etc.
But the scheme was rejected twice – because it involved felling the two trees.
NHS Warrington and the applicants, St George’s Health Care, claimed the trees made no contribution to local amenity and could not be seen from public places.
But council planners argued the trees are irreplaceable.
“No amount of replacement planting would offset their loss as it would take in excess of 70 years to establish their crown spread and dominance within the landscape,” they said.
There would also be an ecological loss – and local residents and Birchwood Town Council wanted to see the trees retained.
