Green and pleasant land

Jun 26 2009

ARE the green spaces and trees of New Farm Loch to be eroded away patch by patch?

Atrium homes has bought the land around the Charleston, Cameron Drive, and now plans to cut down 23 mature poplar trees which are 30 years old.

What is planned in their place? Car spaces. With the very important role that trees have in consuming carbon from the atmosphere, it is vital to preserve all mature healthy trees.

Car parking should be planned around the existing trees or driveways in front of the houses, especially as future trends see less need for car parking as people rely less on car transport in favour of public transport, cycling and walking.

I don’t want this row of slow-growing trees decimated to allow space for carbon consuming cars. I’m reminded of Joni Mitchell’s song ‘Big Yellow Taxi’: ‘they paved paradise and put up a parking lot.’

We can’t allow this to happen.

New Farm Loch was envisioned in 1970s to be housing between swathes of open green spaces and trees.

It is like no other area in Kilmarnock. This row of trees is an integral part of the identity of New Farm Loch.

Although these 23 trees were topped recently, they can be reshaped to restore their beauty.

I urge people of New Farm Loch and Kilmarnock to support the protection of these trees.

– Jenny Brown, Kilmarnock.