Fury as council chops down hedges making Sandbanks look ‘set on hearth’
- Angry locals say it appears like their upmarket seaside resort has been ‘set on hearth’
- Work by Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council was known as ‘excessive’
Furious Sandbanks residents have slammed a council ‘hack job’ after luscious inexperienced hedges have been chopped down, leaving simply stumps alongside a Millionaires’ Row street.
Workers at Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council have sparked an indignant backlash after shredding an overgrown hedgerow within the upmarket Dorset seaside resort Sandbanks.
Locals had complained overgrown foliage was scratching their costly vehicles however different well-heeled residents accused the council of going too far – with claims as we speak that the ‘excessive’ motion made it seem like the bottom was ‘set on hearth’.
BCP was additionally accused of finishing up a ‘hack job’ by critics, but mother and father welcomed the elimination of what have been seen as ‘well being and security’ concern hedges.
Seafront-facing houses at Sandbanks can promote for as a lot as £13.5million and the picturesque location has attracted the likes of movie star chef Rick Stein, former soccer managers Harry Redknapp and Graeme Souness and pc magnate Sir Peter Ogden.
Residents say the coppicing carried out by Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council makes it seem like land within the Sandbanks seaside resort has been ‘set on hearth’
The overgrown hedges earlier than they have been reduce down on Banks Road in Sandbanks
Retired aeroplane pilot Richard Krause, 62, known as the work on the foliage ‘excessive’
Council chiefs say they needed to act to enhance sightlines and security for folks crossing roads
Gill Brooks, 59, a non-public carer, described the native authority’s response as ‘very drastic’
Council officers say the coppicing work was essential to enhance sightlines – and security – for folks crossing busy roads within the resort, however reactions have been combined.
Gill Brooks, 59, a non-public carer who has lived in Sandbanks for eight years, stated: ‘It’s very drastic. It appears like they’ve set it on hearth.’
Archaeologist Skye Goodall stated: ‘It appears like a hack job.’
And retired aeroplane pilot Richard Krause, 62, stated: ‘The hedge was protecting the trail so one thing wanted to be achieved however this can be a bit excessive.
‘They have proven no finesse and seem to have simply come alongside and stripped it.’
Yet panorama gardener Bob Smith leapt to the defence of the council, praising them for doing ‘precisely the precise factor’.
He stated: ‘It would possibly look actually dangerous proper now however it can develop again in six months.
‘People similar to to have a moan about the whole lot – in September they are going to be complaining it’s too tall.’
Two moms with prams, who didn’t need to be named, welcomed the choice to take away the hedgerows for ‘well being and security’ causes.
One stated: ‘It was so harmful with the overgrown hedges as a result of youngsters would stroll out into the street and drivers wouldn’t see them.
‘The most vital factor is well being and security so I welcome what they’ve achieved.’
There have been claims that the employees had acted to enhance the views of residents residing in unique close by flats, though this was denied.
Archaeologist Skye Goodall stated of the hedge-cutting: ‘It appears like a hack job’
Other locals have dubbed the result in Sandbanks ‘horrible’ and ‘an absolute eyesore’
Residents have accused the Council of being ‘heavy-handed’
Caroline Papp, 52, a profession coach who lives in close by Ashley Cross and regularly walks in Sandbanks, stated yesterday: ‘It is an absolute eyesore – I do not perceive why they wanted to be reduce fairly a lot.’
Another Sandbanks resident, who requested to stay nameless, stated: ‘It appears horrible – I do not know why they did not trim them as a substitute of hacking it down.’
However, different locals praised the council for a ‘nice and proactive determination’.
Sandie Smith stated: ‘I feel it’s a nice determination – the vegetation will probably be recent and reinvigorated for the summer season.
‘We cannot let issues go to rack and break – we have to be proactive.’
Another native, Stephen Allen, stated: ‘The hedges have been fully overgrown as they’d not been reduce since earlier than the pandemic, when they need to be achieved yearly.
‘They had turn into a security hazard as there’s a zebra crossing and whenever you drove down the street folks would all of a sudden seem from behind the hedge and you would need to do an emergency cease.
‘It was an accident ready to occur. The council have fully chopped it again and it appears ugly in the intervening time however it can develop again.
‘I do know they’re cash-strapped, however they should do a greater job sustaining this space of Sandbanks.’
Sandbanks is one probably the most unique areas on the South Coast with homes costing tens of millions
The council have stated enhancing residents’ views was ‘not a part of their consideration’
Sandbanks, which is made up of about 800 households, has a number of well-known residents together with former soccer supervisor Harry Redknapp
A spokesman for BCP Council stated coppicing wouldn’t hurt wildlife and regrowth would seem in spring when vegetation begin to produce flower heads.
He insisted enhancing residents’ views was ‘not a part of their consideration’ they usually as a substitute acted as a ‘security’ measure.
Councillor Andy Hadley, the council’s portfolio holder for local weather response, atmosphere and power, stated: ‘The tamarisk hedgerows on Banks Road have been coppiced.
‘This is regular observe to enhance the well being of the plant, forestall tangled branches and promote dense heads of foliage.
‘In this occasion, the security of pedestrians and street customers within the space was additionally a big issue within the determination to coppice, as we had acquired a number of studies of the hedge impacting on the road of sight of individuals utilizing the crossing level outdoors the Sandbanks Hotel and the general public crossing from the seashore to the Tesco Express.
‘The vegetation had very thick woody progress and now this may be maintained every winter with none influence to the general public, wildlife, or street customers.
‘Regrowth will seem within the spring when the plant begins to supply flower heads.
‘These are good for bees, butterflies, and every other pollinators in that space. There isn’t any influence on wildlife.’
One native described the pruned bushes as an ‘absolute eyesore’ after they have been reduce
BCP Council stated coppicing wouldn’t hurt wildlife and regrowth will seem within the spring
Earlier this month, movie star inside designer Celia Sawyer condemned council officers for letting her neighbour preserve an unlawful balcony that overlooks her Sandbanks backyard the place she sunbathes in a bikini.
The Channel 4 Four Rooms star stated she was appalled that neighbour Neil Kennedy ‘received away’ with flouting planning guidelines on his £4million house in Poole Harbour.
Meanwhile, former Tottenham Hotspur and Portsmouth boss Harry Redknapp received planning permission to construct an Italian-style luxurious villa after he bulldozed his £7million house in Sandbanks earlier than the native council gave permission final September.
The ex-football supervisor and his spouse Sandra paid virtually one other £7million for the 60-year-old indifferent home on the Dorset peninsula.
