Tree Catastrophe

Tree Catastrophe at Newcastle Exhibition Park

I was cycling to work across the Town Moor. As I entered my usual last section into Exhibition Park it all seemed a bit different; very dead, still, miserable and bleak. I could not work out what was going on. Then, to my horror, I realised that since sunrise, teams of workers had cut down most of the beautiful tree boulevard. This is one of our favourite places, and we used to take the kids to play here when they were little. We used the trees for goalposts. It was a very pretty place.

How things change, so incredibly fast from one day to the next. This is so symptomatic of our present recessionary and gloomy times. I looked up what was happening on the internet. It seems that Newcastle City Council claim that they have consulted 'Tree Experts' who claim that the trees only have a few more years to live and are diseased (Swedish White Trees?). So, they are cutting them down and will be replanting for the future. They have been there over 80 years. They claim they have a fund to renovate it.

Call me a 'Conspiracy Theorist', but I am suspicious that the 'Great' Sir John Hall (he of Metro Centre development fame, and well known family of philanthropists and ascetic values related to non profit making in football clubs) is buying and renovating the old Military Museum that stands adjacent to this park and the Lake. I wonder.......?

Planting 'the seeds of doubt' behind the Council logic and rationale maybe....