UNITED Utilities will not plant replacements after felling a handful of mature trees close to its wastewater treatment works in Greenfield due to “site maintenance work”.
The company says the woodland area at the side of the River Tame and at the back of houses on Lower Frenches Drive “isn’t suitable for re-planting trees”.
Oldham Council often employ a three-to-one replacement ratio with semi mature specimens where work has necessitated cutting down mature trees.
Around a dozen self-seeded trees in the area have also been recently removed.
A United Utilities spokesperson said: “The trees were removed as part of our site maintenance work as they were posing a risk to operational equipment at Saddleworth wastewater treatment works.
“One tree was encroaching on an underground chamber and another was at risk of falling onto a pipe bridge where a sewer crosses the river.
“If any of these assets suffered damage it would cause pollution.
“We also removed some small self-seeded trees at the request of a neighbour as they were encroaching on their property.
“Although this location is not suitable for re-planting trees, we will be planting more than a million trees across our land holdings throughout the North West by 2030.”
More matures trees in Greenfield taken down by a company who promises to plant a million but where’s the proof they actually do this? The spot behind the King Bill is an eyesore after all those mature trees were torn down. Greenfield is becoming more like Greedfield.