Getting rid of the mature trees is a ‘last resort’ according to a Green councillor
Three trees just outside St James’ Park will be chopped down so the council can overhaul a busy junction
Three large silver maple trees in Broadmead are set to be chopped down by the end of February so that work to overhaul a major junction can begin.
The felling of the trees, which sit just outside St James’ Park, is the first step in Bristol City Council ’s project to transform Union Street’s junction with The Haymarket, Lewins Mead and Rupert Street.
Once they have been removed, work can begin which the council hopes will improve bus services and make the area safer for pedestrians and cyclists.
That work includes redesigning the pedestrian crossing, adding two-way separated cycle paths – from north to south between Union Street and Lower Maudlin Street and from east to west on The Haymarket and Lewins Mead – and introducing a two-way bus-only route along Union Street.
What the junction should look like by the end of the project
Ed Plowden, chair of BCC’s transport and connectivity committee, said removing the trees was the last thing the council wanted to do.
“We respect trees, especially ones of their size and maturity, and so removing these three trees is a last resort,” he said.
“However, having looked at every possible alternative, we think it is the best option. Our environmental assessment shows that on balance there is a greater gain to be had by taking our plans for the area forward, which includes planting more new trees.”
Removing two of the trees will also enable a section of the Bristol heat network to be installed. The work will be done overnight in a bid to minimise disruption, with the trees turned into wood chips away from the site in order to limit noise.
The trees need to be removed before bird nesting season begins in the spring.
The council has moved forward with the plans despite a comfortable majority of the public opposing the removal.
Of the 119 people who responded to the council’s consultation about the proposal, 66% of respondents had a negative opinion of the decision to remove the trees.
Only 22% of those who responded had a positive view.
An artist’s impression of the new junction, without the trees
Thirty new trees will be planted as part of the wider Broadmead scheme.
In a letter explaining the decision to remove the trees despite public objections, Bristol City Council economy of place director Alex Hearn said, “The removal of the trees is necessary to enable improvements for walking, wheeling, cycling and public transport in this area as part of the City Centre transport improvement project. The design chosen is the only feasible arrangement due to space constraints around this already very busy junction that must accommodate general traffic lanes, a variety of different bus movements, (around 30,000 per day), as well as significant cyclist and pedestrian flows.”
The Broadmead scheme is one of several projects to transform central Bristol which are due to start in 2026.
Yesterday (February 12), the council announced that a major overhaul of the Bedminster Bridges would be delayed until the autumn , with ‘exploratory’ work due to begin on February 16.
Meanwhile, the council has scrapped plans to ban through-traffic from Park Street, after the West of England Combined Authority announced it would not fund the scheme.
Construction work on the £19.4m Broadmead project is expected to begin later this year.
Want to see more of the stories you love from BristolLive?Making us your preferred source on Google means you’ll get more of our exclusives, top stories and must-read content straight away. To add BristolLive as a preferred source, simply click here.Or read more about selecting your preferred sources.