Hearts stuck to tree trunks, protest songs at the town hall and a stack of signatures under the arm. The campaigners of Zenseless Felled made it clear on Monday how great the love for the plane trees on the Tilburg Cityring is. And that did not stop without results: Alderman Evelien Kostermans (GroenLinks) promised the plans to re -view 135 trees.
The CityRing must turn into a so -called park with fewer cars and more space for cyclists, pedestrians and greenery. But that greening did mean that the 135 plane trees that were planted seventeen years ago in the previous redesign would disappear. According to the municipal administration, this is necessary for a solid redesign. It sounds contradictory, but by cutting down the trees, almost 300 new ones would eventually come back.
“Idiot to cut healthy trees.”
The activists see that very differently. Initiator Ingrid Ramaan thinks it is a shame that healthy trees would disappear: “The trees are valuable for the city. They provide cooling and take CO2. It is idiot to start a plan for greening with the hood of adult trees. Nobody expected that.”
According to her, it is uncertain whether young trees in the city will grow well. “Many trees have already been declared dead because it was too dry or too wet. These plane trees are now giving shade and protect people against heat stress.” In a short time, the action group managed to pick up more than 6300 signatures. The Party for the Animals also insisted on the city council to postpone the hood for the time being.
“We take this signal seriously.”
Alderman Kostermans received the petition and indicated that he wanted to look at the plans again. “We see opportunities to keep a few dozen trees,” she said. According to her, it is not possible without a hood. “If we want a better design, we can’t ignore that a number of trees must also be cut down. But we take this signal seriously.”
The municipality will talk to the activists in the coming weeks. There will be an adjusted plan on 8 September. The action group is happy with the commitment that the plan will be looked at again, but they are not comfortable with it that it will deliver sufficiently.
