A Ramsgate district councillor is questioning why a road in Ramsgate wasn’t closed this morning (June 6) to allow two trees to be felled safely after a ‘near miss’ when one of the trees collapsed.
Cllr Becky Wing says it is “extremely fortunate no-one was hurt” during the felling at Elms Avenue today and questioned why the county council didn’t carry out a proper risk assessment before the work took place.
She said: “This morning I got a number of calls from residents, some of whom had seen a large tree on Elms Avenue fall across the road as it was being worked on by tree surgeons.
“I had actually seen the notices to remove both trees in early May and had emailed KCC to ask if the trees would be replaced given the location and was awaiting a response.
“The notices to fell had stated the trees had ‘structural weakness and pathogenic disorder’ and the ‘site would be added to the forward planning list and be assessed for possible future planting’. I found it really disappointing that in such a prominent location replanting was not an automatic option as recently happened on Southeastern Road.
“This morning a crew arrived to remove both trees and while working on the second residents report the tree collapsed across the entire road and it was extremely fortunate that no one was hurt.
“This is clearly a health & safety ‘near miss’ and you have to wonder why with so many road closures, constantly in Ramsgate and across Thanet, why this tree work did not require one.
“I have contacted our KCC officer and our two KCC Councillors, in the hope the following action will be undertaken: To investigate why a full risk assessment appears not to have been undertaken that would have identified the need for a road closure while the trees were being removed.
“And to ensure the trees are replaced given the location and fact we have extremely low numbers of trees and street trees in particular.”
A spokesperson for Kent County Council (KCC) said: “We take highway safety seriously and, while we will be investigating this matter further, we want to reassure residents that all staff working under a KCC arboriculture contract are fully trained in accordance with the New Roads and Street Works Act 1991.
“They hold the necessary qualifications to carry out traffic management tailored to the specific requirements of each site.
“As part of the contract, contractors are required to assess each site in advance, determine the appropriate traffic management measures and resources, and prepare a site-specific risk assessment to ensure the work is carried out safely.”
Usual TDC.There are many trees around Ramsgate that dont leave sufficient headway for high sided vehicles.Do your duty and get tough with the owners of such trees.Also just heard a Labour minister say pollution enda with this Government. Blimey maybe he needs to drive down the Thanet part of the A299.There are industials levels of litter everywhere with bins overflowing with rubbish in every layby.
This was KCC not TDC.
Wing stirring it up as usual, there’s better things moan about like the useless Ramsgate town council
Would you prefer cllrs stayed silent over local issues?
I’d prefer if they actually did their jobs and didn’t make excuses as to why their street cleaning team can’t clean up fallen leaves on footpaths in their jurisdiction as they do rubbish on the same roads. Personally having seen three elderly folk slip and trip on said leaves. This ended up with most members of the public walking in the carriageway at risk t o their own lives.
Perhaps Reform UK are reforming health and safety laws now that they’ve found reforming KCC is too much bother?
Nice one!
Did the trees have burkas on them?
I bet these were English trees, Asian or African trees would have been welcome to stay.
By a council run by Reform?
I saw this happen – two orange bollards were the extent of the safety precaution.
Continual lorries and cars driving past as the blokes chain sawed the base of the tree – it fractured and fell across both lanes and shattered – almost taking out the wall on side of waitrose car park – they then started telling people asking what there were doing and taking pictures: “you’re not allowed to take photos”, “we don’t need to close the road” and “go home” – as they frantically cut up the trunk and dragged the bits off the road as cars and lorries mounted the opposite curb to pass in both directions.
I hope you took photos.
Lots of ROAD CLOSED signs in Thanet with no sign of workers on them. So just to be different in Elms Avenue Ramsgate, there were no ROAD CLOSED signs however there were workers working on the road and a fallen / cut down tree across the road. We also have a waterfall with no water falling despite a considerable amount of money spent repairing it.
The article is clear that Cllr Wing was responding to local residents. Unlike so many other Cllr’s on RTC, TDC & KCC Cllr Wing does the job she’s been elected to do, represent residents!
And of course she’s stirring things up, a shame that more don’t.
I agree totally.
I wonder whether there is any incentive for the contractors not to chop down trees.
In the past, I’ve noticed around Northdown Park trees being felled, and on a couple of occasions, I looked at the stump, which didn’t seem to have any sign of disease, although honestly, I’m not an expert, just a cynic.
Perhaps one of your readers will be better informed than I and could perhaps answer this question as to whether the contractors get paid more for chopping down a tree than keeping it healthy
Thank you Cllr Wing ( who should be an elected KCC member )for continuing to act in residents interests . Action and any comments from the contacted KCC councillors is awaited .
Expecting Cllr Luke Evans to parachute in fallschirmjaeger style to interrogate those responsible and knock at every door for evidential purposes. He loves trees , where are you Luke ? We need you
“replanting was not an automatic option as recently happened on Southeastern Road.”
Given the root systems of these size trees are often many times the width of the canopy, it’d require the entire road, pavement and some of waitrose/queens house land to be ripped up to replant them. Let alone a good few tens of thousands of pounds to rent the machinery and qualified staff. There is also then the matter of the ground they’re replanted into, potentially killing them off anyway.
Subcontractors for KCC?
The signage for Highways management during any works is lamentable.