As many residents will have seen, on Tuesday four trees were sadly felled by the Heart entrance on the High Street. This work was carried out by Conservative-run Surrey County Council as part of their project to change the High Street and create a new zebra crossing by the Heart entrance. It is claimed the trees were removed due to the County Council’s fears for pedestrian safety.
Walton Society Councillor and Leader of Elmbridge Council Chris Sadler rung the Chief Executive of Elmbridge Council and the Leader of Surrey County Council (Cllr Tim Oliver) first thing yesterday morning. He has received a written assurance from Cllr Oliver that no further trees will be cut down. Cllr Oliver said "We will pause any further tree work until we have a full report on planned works, the reason they are being undertaken and full communication with residents." The two trees outside Boots appear to have been saved thanks to quick action by Chris and local residents, some of whom have been guarding the remaining trees. It is great to see our community quickly came together to try and stop this.
The Walton Society deplores the loss of these trees which seems to be part of a worrying trend of tree removal by Surrey County Council. We are also disappointed that the County Council did not properly consult on the loss of these trees, nor give any advance warning of the work to residents or councillors. They should do better than this.
The Walton Society believes in a greener, more attractive Walton. We will be pressing Surrey County Council to plant more trees in Walton, including replacements along our High Street.
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