Dismay after Southampton airport gets permission to cut down cemetery trees | Southampton

A municipal council led by works has been criticized for supporting the program of an airport aimed at reducing “majestic” trees in a historic cemetery rich in fauna near a track.

Environmental activists, people whose relatives have been put in place in the cemetery and opposition politicians expressed their dismay that the trees of the South Stoneham cemetery in Southampton are lost.

Southampton Airport arises that 29 trees, including oak, cherry, cedar and cypress, in the cemetery belonging to the council must be slaughtered or reduced so that the number of passengers can be increased.

The Cabinet of the Southampton Municipal Council has given its approval so that a plan is ready to fall 19 trees, five of which are classified as “category A – highest value” and carrying out work on 10 others.

Katherine Barbour, the chief of the Green Party of the Council party, said that she was deeply concerned about this decision. She said: “This threatens our heritage and our local biodiversity. These trees provide invaluable habitat, help fight air pollution, to contribute to urban cooling and are an essential element of the character of our community.

“We urge the council and the airport authorities to rethink and explore alternative solutions. Once lost, our mature trees cannot be replaced during the night. ”

More than 800 people have signed a petition opposing the abolition of trees. The petition says: “For countless people, the cemetery is a sacred space for reflection and comfort, its majestic trees playing a vital role in the formation of this quiet environment.

“The cemetery is home to a diverse range of fauna, including crepussels, marshes, swallows, owls and green peaks and large peaks.

Liz Battren, Southampton and Southampton Transition member Climate Action Network, said: “Now that we are so much more aware of the importance of trees for our survival and indignation and sorrow that has just seen the mature trees cut, you would think that a municipal council like Southampton would have taken things slowly.”

Rosemary Milne, who runs a local animal rescue center, said: “These are large companies.”

The airport indicates that the trees have an obstacle to the planes that leave and arrive. The planes are forced to fly with a reduced number of passengers and payload (fuel or luggage) so that they can maintain a safe release to the trees in the event of engine failure.

He said: “The presence of obstacles reduces the viability of this active ingredient of regional importance, which damages the economic vitality and the efficiency of the airport operations, to the detriment of the city of Southampton and the wider center-South region.

The cemetery includes the graves of 66 soldiers and RJ Mitchell, who led the team that designed the supermarine Spitfire.