Response 986145

Response to request for information

Reference

986145

Response date

21 December 2022

Request

A 60 foot mature scots pine was removed from Abbey Circus park in the month before 20/9/22 during work by National Grid to upgrade an electrical substation. I informed councillors Gowland and Mallender by email about it and asked why and that a replacement be planted for conservation and the community. Cllr Gowland enquired of RBC but nothing has been done to replace or explain it. My FOI questions are:

1. What happened to the logs from the tree that must be worth several hundred pounds as firewood?
2. Where are the logs now? Who has got them?
3. What are the RBC controls regarding tree removal and disposal from RBC managed land?
4. What precautions does RBC take against theft of such community assets by contractors?

Response

National Grid secured the Council’s permission to fell the tree to enable urgent work to upgrade the substation, the tree needed to be felled due to the root damage that would have been caused by the work to joint 5 low voltage and 2 high voltage underground cables. National Grid have agreed to fund a replacement tree and this will be planted in early 2023 by the Council’s grounds maintenance team, Streetwise.

1. What happened to the logs from the tree that must be worth several hundred pounds as firewood?

   • The logs were removed from site by National Grid. The logs had no financial value to Rushcliffe as the Council does not sell the wood from felled trees. All the Council’s timber, brash and chippings goes to a green waste composting site and for this we pay a monthly fee. The Council does not have the facilities to sell firewood in small volumes due to the requirement for it to be certified as ‘Ready to Burn’.

2. Where are the logs now? Who has got them?

   • This information is not known.

3. What are the RBC controls regarding tree removal and disposal from RBC managed land?

   • Generally work to Council owned trees is carried out in house by Streetwise, sometimes wood and brash is left on site as habitat piles but all arisings removed from site goes to a green waste composting site. When third parties carry out work on RBC land it is their responsibility to dispose of the arisings in a responsible manner unless we specify that they should be retained on site.

4. What precautions does RBC take against theft of such community assets by contractors?

   • The Council does not consider this to be theft, we did not require the timber and were happy for National Grid to dispose of it.