Former mayor upset after trees cut down

A former Crawley mayor has spoken of his upset after the council cut down '˜magnificent' trees in a communal garden behind his home.
By The Newsroom
Published 13th Jan 2016, 17:33 BST
Former Crawley Mayor Peter Milton criticises CBC for cutting down seemingly healthy trees outside homes in Dingle Close, Crawley. Pic Steve Robards SR1600603 SUS-160901-171807001Former Crawley Mayor Peter Milton criticises CBC for cutting down seemingly healthy trees outside homes in Dingle Close, Crawley. Pic Steve Robards SR1600603 SUS-160901-171807001
Former Crawley Mayor Peter Milton criticises CBC for cutting down seemingly healthy trees outside homes in Dingle Close, Crawley. Pic Steve Robards SR1600603 SUS-160901-171807001

Peter Milton, who was Mayor of Crawley in 1983/4, believed his neighbours in Dingle Close, West Green, complained the trees were interfering with their satellite TV reception.

Mr Milton, 73, said his Christmas was ruined after the ‘beautiful’ trees were cut down to six inch stumps by the borough council on December 21. He had urged the council to trim the vegetation instead.

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A spokesman said: “The trees were cut down to after several complaints over a number of years about these trees blocking light to the flats and being too close to the building. They’ve been cut back in the past but on a site visit, a resident complained in person about the trees blocking light to the flats and he mentioned it affected several of the properties. The trees were healthy but had grown considerably since the flats were built and were showing signs of vandalism, with lower branches being broken off or cut. The preferred solution of thinning the trees would not have resolved the issue in this instance and the only viable option was removal of the trees. As they were part of the communal grounds the decision was taken to consult with the residents of the flats to see what they wanted done with their garden. Out of the 10 residents, 5 wanted the trees removed, 2 weren’t really bothered but said they would go with the majority, 1 said no and 2 didn’t reply.”