Residents fuming as three 'beautiful healthy' willow trees are chopped down near Milton Keynes lake

Many residents were furious last Thursday when contractors sawed down the trio of willows at Lodge Lake out of the blue, leaving just a pile of logs and chippings.

They took to their local Facebook page, Great Holm Chat, to protest and ask why such drastic action was being taken when the trees were healthy specimans.

"Many people walking around the lake, myself included, were also very upset and could not understand why this was necessary,” said one passer-by. “Everyone is of the opinion that this looks like environmental vandalism.”

Another said: “These iconic trees were cut down without warning and consultation with the local community.”

Local Labour councillors, including Cllr Shanika Mahendran, became involved and pledged to call the Parks Trust for an explanation.

The councillors said: "We understand there is a great deal of upset from residents, especially those who walk round Lodge Lake each day, and that mixed messages have caused some concern. We hope to be able to update you with something conclusive soon.”

The Citizen also contacted The Parks Trust about the trees, which are close to apratments on Waoodward Place in Loughton Lodge.

A spokesperson told us: “Every year, our experienced landscaping team carry out tree inspections in our parks. Following an inspection in the Lodge Lake area, we made an informed decision to remove three willow trees due to health and safety concerns.

“These trees were growing adjacent to neighbouring houses, a popular leisure route and bridleway and were no longer suitable in their location. The willow trees were originally planted by the Development Corporation around 40 years ago as fast-growing tree species that would have an impact in the landscape before other longer term tree species would have a chance to develop. The largest and dominant Willow in this tree group was leaning heavily towards the neighbouring properties and this species has the tendency to fail in maturity, often falling in adverse weather, so in this instance the group of trees required intervention.”

They added: “Before any work was carried out, all trees were climbed, and habitat features were inspected by trained professionals to meet the laws and legislations of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981.

“Within the same park setting we have 30,000m2 of dedicated non-intervention zones, solely for protection of habitat and the wildlife within. The Parks Trust works hard to protect and promote habitat with a variety of projects and works across our green spaces.

“We will be replacing the three trees with wildflowers in Spring 2025 which will be sympathetic to the surroundings and support biodiversity in the area. We also carry out additional annual tree planting across the city's parkland and green spaces through winter months - in the last year, we've planted 28,000 trees and shrubs in the Milton Keynes landscape.”

The Parks Trust is an independent charity that cares for over 6,000 acres of green space in Milton Keynes, including parks, open spaces, river valleys, woodlands, lakesides and landscaped areas along the main roads.