PROTESTORS battling to save three healthy lime trees from being chopped down in a residential street are keeping their campaign going to the bitter end as Cornwall Council announces its work programme.

The council says it will carry out an independent ecological survey of the now infamous trees on Trelawney Road in Falmouth to “make sure the right checks are in place” before they are cut down.

However, the Stop the Chop! protest group has responded: “Cornwall Council has done anything but take an ‘independent approach’ or ‘make sure the right checks are in place’ during its entire handling of this case.”

Residents have protested at the site of the trees three times since last December, saving them from being felled during two very public demonstrations this year. They say no proper explanation has been given by the council for why they have to come down, amid mysterious court proceedings and a confidentiality agreement between the local authority and the owner of a house near the trees.

The council announced this week that, weather permitting, an independent ecologist from outside Cornwall will carry out a survey on Thursday, November 20 to make sure there are no nesting birds or bat roosts in the trees ahead of the planned removal of the 60-year-old trees in December.

Temporary parking restrictions and traffic management will be in place to allow safe access for the climbed inspection. Advance signage will appear from today [Thursday, November 6], with updated notices following in mid-November to cover both the ecology survey and the start of works.

December will see traffic restrictions put in in place and the start of tree removal works. The council is asking residents to respect traffic management measures during the survey to help keep everyone safe.

Cllr Dan Rogerson, Cornwall Council’s portfolio holder for transport, said: “We know there’s been a lot of local interest in the trees along Trelawney Road. That’s why we’ve commissioned an independent ecology specialist to carry out a detailed inspection and oversee the works. This independent approach will make sure the right checks are in place before any trees are removed and the four replacement trees can be planted.”

A spokesperson for Stop The Chop! said: “No independent evidence to support the felling of the three protected trees has ever been sought, no explanation has been given to the taxpayer as to why it paid the neighbouring property owners £107,000 – some 20 times more than the average payout … It’s outrageous.

“The contempt they are showing for both the community and due process is staggering. This case isn’t only about trees, it’s about transparency as well.”

We contacted the council to ask if the £107,000 payout quoted by the protesters is indeed the sum paid to a property owner living near the trees. The figure has never been officially denied.

A spokesperson replied: “The damage caused by the trees on Trelawney Road has been the subject of court proceedings and all the parties to those proceedings, including the council, are bound by confidentiality.”