Cornwall Council has released further details about the need to remove three lime trees from Trelawney Road in Falmouth.
Their planned removal was postponed in March of this year following protests.
Details of the damage caused by the trees, and why it is necessary to remove them, could not be shared at the time due to court proceedings.
Now, following agreement with the relevant parties, the Council can share more details about the assessments and investigations that have taken place.
Four trial pits and a site survey were undertaken in 2021 and 2022 to ascertain the extent of the damage.
Six separate services - including streetlight power cables, water pipes, and internet cables - run beneath the footpath between the boundary wall and the trees, where they are tangled with tree roots.
The surface of the road and the footway have also been disrupted by roots, and kerbs have been removed because they were unsafe.
The Council has investigated options to retain the trees while preventing further damage - including the installation of root barriers - but due to the utilities under the footpath, this would not be possible.
The roots of the trees have caused - and are still causing - serious damage to infrastructure, nearby land, and property. As a result, the Council is legally required to remove them.
Arrangements will be made for the three trees to be removed safely, and for four new trees to be planted on the street.
Councillor Dan Rogerson, Portfolio Holder for Transport at Cornwall Council, said:
"We understand how much these trees mean to the local community. It’s been frustrating for all of us that we couldn’t share more details sooner, but we had to respect the legal process.
“We value the role trees play in our towns and neighbourhoods - for wildlife, wellbeing, and climate. That’s why we’ve planted over 1.6 million trees through our Forest for Cornwall programme.
“We always look for ways to protect and preserve trees wherever we can. But in this case, the damage to nearby property, public infrastructure, and essential services leaves us with no safe or viable alternative.”
Press release issued on July 15, 2025