Campaigners' plea to save park's trees from being felled 'in city screaming out for oxygen'

Trees around the park’s periphery have already been cut down as part of a £11.7m redevelopment meant to complement an upgrade of the nearby Maritime Museum.

The council says it will allow the park to be used for large scale events.

But campaigners say the situation has parallels with campaigns in Sheffield and Plymouth and it makes no sense to fell the remaining trees, some of which still have up to 30 years of life left. The proposals were approved by the previous Labour administration and campaigners have arranged an 11th hour meeting with Lib Dem council leader Mike Ross next week in the hope that they can save a few.

The park is now closed for contractors to start work.

The 35 huge poplars, which create a central formal avenue, are due for felling later this year. Planted in 1961 to a design by Sir Frederick Gibberd, they were judged as being in good health and having up to 21 to 30 years left in a survey commissioned by the council. They will be replaced by fast-growing dawn redwoods. More than 2,500 people signed a petition last year to save the trees.

A letter to Councillor Ross from campaigners David Bean and Michelle Coldham said: “We, as a group of several thousands of petitioners, believe we represent the majority of right-thinking members of the public exactly as they did in Plymouth and Sheffield.”

They added that in Sheffield one of the councillors involved in the tree felling scandal subsequently resigned, while in Plymouth members instigated mass protests.

The council says consultation took place in February 2020 and “provided opportunities for people to shape the proposals” before the plans went in. However campaigners say there was little advertising and opportunities for feedback were severely limited because of lockdown the following month.

They also point to several schemes taking place in the city centre – including work in the Pier area and the graveyard on the A63 – which have involved trees being felled.

However they say the trees have not been replanted in the same quantity and have been replaced by paving. They now hope a few can be saved in Queens Gardens to give new ones “a breathing space, to mature”, helping preserve habitats, air quality and “general appeal”.

In a statement Hull Council said it understood people “care deeply” about the trees, but insisted most of those being replaced were “poor quality” or had “limited life”. The poplars were short-lived, needed significant maintenance and were prone to dropping limbs. Their replacements would go in at 9m to 11m tall. The statement added: “The council has a 3:1 ratio, for every tree removed, three will be replanted.

"Overall, 100 replacement trees will be planted in Queens Gardens, as well as 265 trees being planted at several locations across the city centre including the Bonus Arena, Liddell Street Park and the History Centre.”