Opponents urge Islington Council not to cut down a pear tree and two sycamores on the Highbury Quadrant Estate

• IN response to your report (Residents unite in campaign to save estate trees from the axe, April 2), the Islington Council spokesperson is disingenuous.

They have not fully explored all options such as underpinning. And their argument linking the structural damage to the trees does not stack up: the trees are supposed to withdraw so much water that the clay shrinks.

Yet when they dug a trial pit to assess the problem, they found standing water that they could not explain.

Residents pointed out this inconsistency and have been waiting patiently for an explanation since October last year. Instead of an explanation they were told the trees will be removed now regardless.

Last March, during a meeting with the council and the insurers, it was also agreed that an independent second and possibly third opinion would be sought to ensure that felling the trees would solve the problem.

When asking about the outcome of the second opinion, the council responded by ghosting residents. Unfortunately this problem is not new.

There is a history of botched attempts of doing things on the cheap instead of doing them properly.

We had partial underpinning of the building to avoid the cost of underpinning the whole structure. This ended up causing damage in the part of the building that was not underpinned.

To remediate this damage the building was cut in half. When residents pointed out that this would not resolve the issue, they were ignored by the council as well.

Yet those works resulted in windows and railings being ripped out of walls, roof leakages, cracks in walls, doors not closing, and constant flooding of stairwells when it rains.

After two major interventions failing to deliver results, all that residents are asking for is an effective and lasting repair, based on evidence and logic and no more trial and error.

Our biggest concern is that killing much-valued trees is not a solution driven by evidence, but by putting profit before getting it right and to the detriment of our environment.

In 2021, with a declared climate emergency, this is no longer an acceptable stance and future generations will take a dim view of the people responsible for that behaviour.

KATHRIN SCHRADER
Highbury Quadrant, N5