At the risk of sounding like a tree hugger, l have noticed a number of fully matured trees which have been chopped down in W9, particularly in Little Venice. The above one is on the corner of Clifton Rd & Randolph Avenue and last week l noticed the one in front of 192 Sutherland Avenue had been completed taken out including its roots!  In previous years we have seen a number of trees along Warwick Ave taken down as well. 

The one that use to be on Clifton Rd,W9 appears to show nothing wrong with the roots of this tree and if it was just the branches, surely some pollarding would have done !  These trees take decades to grow and offer the shade and cooling to nearby buildings like Melcombe Court, so these decision to just chop them down should not be taken lightly. They also give light relief to the urban heat effect that the streets of Westminster suffer from.

Indeed there is an argument that local residents should be involved in all these chopping down tree decisions on trees we take for granted till they are felled. Or at least be notified, in a similar manner as planning matters.  

I feel the council needs to hold the officers to account on their decisions and would welcome a scrutiny on the matter. Clearly being too risk averse has meant officers taking out trees far too often certainly in Little Venice, W9 recently. And l am not sure whether it is happening in other parts of the City of Westminster but a scrutiny could establish this as well.