A CONTROVERSIAL decision to fell an avenue of trees in the heart of Saltaire is still provoking anger among residents, with a petition handed to the full council tonight.

The 32 mature trees in Victoria Road, planted in the 1950s, were chopped down at the start of the year as part of a major £720,000 restoration scheme.

Council bosses had said they had been damaging pavements, had not been part of the original design of the model village and would be replaced by eight smaller trees.

But last night a group of residents handed in a petition highlighting their concerns about the way locals had been consulted about the plan, and calling for more than eight replacement trees to be planted.

The group said artist’s impressions of how the new scheme could look had misled people.

Group spokesman Jackie Mulligan said: “Many have told us that they thought more trees would be replanted along the road, more than eight to replace 32.

“Only now do council representatives tell us that the trees could not be replanted because of the difficulties caused by the location of the utilities.

“Our consultation suggests that if people had known, 132 residents would have chosen not to fell the existing trees but to repair the paving and keep them. This is a serious mistake to have made.”

The petition had been signed by 172 people and will now be considered by the Shipley Area Committee.