Heartbroken residents have made a public protest over the fate of a century-old tree which is being felled in Daisy Hill.

People living in Hazelhurst Road, near the site of the former Daisy Hill Middle School, are furious with Bradford Council which has given the go-ahead to fell three trees on the site.

One of them is a 100-year-old sycamore tree - and locals have draped a protest banner nearby.

Initial plans to build homes on the former school site allowed for all three trees to remain on the edge of the new housing estate.

But the developers then changed the proposals and submitted amended plans to the planning authority, Bradford Council.

It has approved the plans and local people are angry with what they say was inadequate consultation.

Teacher Isabel Cooke, of Hazelhurst Road, said: "We are making a last-ditch effort to save the trees. The council says they are only sycamore and birch, so don't merit protection, but these trees are important in terms of wildlife. They are a service station for birds."

Ian Butterfield, project officer for the Forest of Bradford scheme, said he had contacted planners to argue on behalf of the trees, after being contacted by one of the Daisy Hill protesters.

"It's a shame that a mature healthy tree has to come down when maybe the builders could work around it and perhaps this could have been looked at with a bit more consideration," he said.

He added that he did not want to criticise Bradford Council's record on woodland conservation because this year the authority had planted 5,000 trees.

"It isn't as if they have total disrespect for woodland," he said.

A Bradford Council planning spokesman said: "The trees are unprotected and on a brownfield site, which is to be used for housing. Removing the trees will mean the site can be developed comprehensively and there will be far more off-street car parking available.

"Planning officers did discuss the issue with the Council's arboriculturalist and it was decided that the trees were of insufficient landscape value to be retained.

"The developer has agreed to landscape the site, more trees will be planted and the old boundary wall will be retained."

e-mail: sarah.walsh@lancashire.newsquest.co.uk

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