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Work starts in Plymouth city centre to tidy up Armada Way ‘mess’ but chopped trees stay
Work will begin tomorrow to tidy up the Armada Way “mess” – but the cut-down trees will not be moved yet. Plymouth City Council will move sections of fencing around the trees to create “a cut through” for shoppers as it bids to “take back control” of the area “bit by bit”.
A path will open between the Oggy Oggy and Subway outlets, something businesses called for last month. Clean up teams will also pick up litter and debris which has gathered in the city centre, and temporary seating is being installed too.
But while the temporary Heras fencing, which has been surrounding the felled trees since March, will be moved back, it will still be there. The barrier was installed around large sections of Armada Way to protect pedestrians and businesses from falling debris when the trees were felled.
A legal injunction which stopped the felling in March then prevented the council from cleaning up the site and progressing with its £12.7m regeneration plan. The council said that due to “ongoing legal constraints”, the large piles of felled trees have to stay in situ until the end of the bird-nesting season.
Whilst fencing is still required around the tree stumps and stacks of fallen trees, traders asked council leader Tudor Evans if the barriers could be pulled back, and a cut through created to enable people to cross from one side to another. Following a review of the fencing, it has been agreed that certain sections can be moved back between Mayflower Street and Cornwall Street.
This will widen the footway and create a cut through from one side to the other, between Oggy Oggy and Subway. The council said that as a matter of courtesy it has informed the claimant in the legal injunction of its intention to move the fencing from this Friday, June 16.
Cllr Evans said: “I do not underestimate the impact that the Armada Way mess is having on businesses. I have heard traders loud and clear. Unfortunately, we are unable to remove all the fencing, as we need to surround the large piles of felled trees, until they can be removed. But, we can pull fencing back.
“On Friday we will create a new cut-through – making it easier to access businesses. Fingers crossed, we will be able to pull-back further in a couple of weeks, when I am hopeful we will be able to remove the stumps.”
He added: “I have also asked officers to carry out litter picking and a general tidy-up, to ensure that the reopened spaces are clean. Bit by bit we will clean-up Armada Way. Bit by bit we will take back control.”
Meanwhile, the council is attempting to end the legal battle over the delayed Armada Way regeneration. The authority will make an application directly to the High Court asking it to consider stopping the judicial review brought by protesters. The newly-elected Labour council has already decided to take a fresh look at the design of the regeneration after the furore following the destruction of 110 trees in March.
While it is doing that it has installed temporary seating in the city centre. Cllr Evans and his finance chief Cllr Mark Lowry, toured the city centre regeneration projects to learn more about the works and consider what the council could do to improve how welcoming the city centre is to shoppers and visitors whilst the regeneration is underway.
Currently, most of the existing seating is situated within the fenced off areas. Following requests from local residents regarding the current lack of benches, Cllr Lowry asked officers to urgently install temporary seating throughout the city centre.
He said: “We know the ongoing works in the city centre are frustrating for both the businesses and shoppers. Works are well underway in Old Town Street and New George Street and I have asked officers to make sure they continue at pace. In Armada Way, we are obviously restricted as to what we can do, by the legal action. But I know that there are things we can do swiftly, within the remit of the injunction to improve the current look of the area.
“It is important that we provide plenty of places for shoppers, families and older people to sit. I am glad we have been able to deliver a temporary solution swiftly.”
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