Eastern Road Nature Reserve

Monday 14 August

Work to safely remove diseased trees started on Monday 21 August and is estimated to take three weeks. Although the focus is very much on mitigating Ash Dieback, the work will also include the removal of other unsafe trees and any additional vegetation that has been directly affected where it is essential to do so.

Access to the nature reserve will still be available, but some areas will be cordoned off for health and safety reasons while our contractors remove the trees. Please follow all on-site signage and instructions during this time.

Contractors will be accessing the site from the Eastern Road Entrance.

Friday 8 September

During the initial phase of the work our experts identified additional trees that are unsafe. Around 200 additional trees will be taken down with work continuing on Monday 11 September. Please continue to follow all on-site signage and instructions during this time.

Related FAQs

Are there any details about re-planting?

We are committed to re-planting new stems that will support regrowth and improved biodiversity at Eastern Road Nature Reserve. Due to the site’s previous use as a landfill site, it has been identified that there is currently poor soil quality which will need improving before re-planting can begin.

We will be importing new, nutrient rich soil to improve this and we will need to wait for this to bed down before we can begin re-planting. With this in mind, we will not be able to plant the saplings this year and the work will be scheduled in 2024 once we are satisfied that the re-planting will be successful.

Is Eastern Road Nature Reserve the only area affected?

No. There will be other affected areas. We are currently working on our ‘Ash Dieback Management Plan’ to put an action plan in place to address the other areas on our land. This page will be updated when this is available.

Why are there still tree stumps across the Nature Reserve?

The tree stumps will not be removed. As they are not a tripping height, it is safe to leave them in place and beneficial for our wildlife. They provide unique habitats as standing deadwood, increasing biodiversity across the site.

Why were more trees felled at Eastern Road Nature Reserve?

Unfortunately, while our contracted arborists were removing the trees affected by Ash Dieback, approximately another 200 trees were identified to be unsafe due to soil quality and increased wind exposure. We appreciate that it is upsetting to see further trees removed but the safety of our community comes first, and as a result, the work was unavoidable.

The tree felling has taken away lots of the natural beauty of the Nature Reserve - what are you doing about that?

The devastation across the UK due to Ash Dieback is devastating and it is estimated that the disease will kill up to 90% of all ash trees in the UK over the next decade. Ash Dieback caused significant devastation to Eastern Road Nature Reserve and we understand it is upsetting to see the area in its current state. We would like to ask visitors to keep to the paths so that the site has the opportunity to recover. We will also be installing fencing to ensure that the paths are clearly defined. There are plans in place to re-plant new native species once the soil quality has improved. Please see our FAQ about re-planting for further details.