Opinion: How Peterborough City Council is planning to review it's aging tree stock, writes Wayne Fitzgerald

We can all remember the excitement of the first day back at school after the long summer break, which many of our city’s pupils, teachers and staff are about to experience.

I would like to personally welcome everyone involved in education back for the new academic year, I hope you have all had a relaxing and enjoyable summer holiday and I wish you all the best.

One of the many educational challenges we face in Peterborough is ensuring there are enough school places for everyone in light of our city’s rapidly rising population.

We know Peterborough is a great place to live, work and play and are committed to making it even better.

However, we need to make sure that our resources keep up with growth so finding new school places is an urgent and ongoing challenge.

The good news on this front is that three brand new schools are set to open their doors to pupils – Manor Drive Primary and Secondary schools in Paston, along with St John Henry Newman Roman Catholic Primary School and Nursery in Hampton Water.

The new schools will provide places for hundreds of pupils and be fantastic assets not just for those areas, but for our entire city for years to come.

This positive news is combined with the opening of our new university which is now only days away and will similarly bring many benefits.

Youth MP

On the subject of opportunities for young people, I was delighted to hear that Peterborough’s Youth MP Eva Woods is holding public drop-in sessions to hear more about issues she can help with.

Eva was elected in February and is keen to make a big difference during her two years in the role.

She will be available on the third Tuesday of every month from 4pm to 5pm at the Town Hall in Bridge Street.

Visitors can hold an informal conversation with Eva about anything which is important to them and their community.

I’ve said along that I want the council to engage more with residents, be transparent about what we do and be open to new ideas from people of all ages.

All feedback we receive from the drop-in sessions will make a difference when we put together policies for the city.

Managing tree stock

The council is fully committed to managing our tree stock across Peterborough and we’re always looking at new ways to improve how we do this.

As a result, a new policy for managing the city’s trees has been drafted and will be discussed at the Climate Change and Environment Scrutiny Committee this month.

Councillors will be recommended to note the current pressures regarding the city’s aging tree stock, and to refer the policy to Cabinet and Full Council later this year for a decision.

The review includes a new banding system for assessing the environmental value of council-owned trees.

It also includes a suggestion to bring any council owned TPO tree recommended for felling due to subsidence to the city council’s Planning and Environmental Protection Committee.

The new tree management policy shows what the council could do in future situations to potentially release more information about trees that are proposed to be felled and how it might change its decision-making processes for the highest value trees in our city.