Twenty-five horse chestnuts on Grafton Gate are to be toppled, so power cables can be laid to 650 planned townhouses in the West End Phase One
development.

The announcement by Milton Keynes Partnership has angered green lobby group Urban Eden.

MKP said about 33 other horse chestnuts in the area would be retained, and those removed would be replaced by hornbeams "as defined in the CMK Handbook."

Projects director Tim Roxburgh said: "The West End Central development will be extensively landscaped so that it contributes to the green environment that is such a valued feature of Milton Keynes and this will include the planting of many new trees once development is finished."

He said all trees on the site had been assessed and the horse chestnuts being taken out were deemed to have "little or no chance of survival.
"Overall, all these horse chestnuts are in moderate or poor condition and would need to be replaced over time."

Theo Chalmers, of Urban Eden, described the felling as "urban vandalism."

"The great beauty of the city centre is its horse chestnuts which now look so lovely at this time of the year.

"They are not ill or in any way showing signs of decline," he said.
"Their chances of survival are slight – simply because of the policies of the Partnership."

What do you think of the plan to axe these trees. Email: editorial@mkcitizen.co.uk with your views.