Couple query reasons for trees at reservoir
Tuesday 26th October 2010, 11:30AM BST.
Jill and Christopher Lucas feel the planting of 12 silver birch trees at the St Andrew’s Reservoir, seen in the left foreground of this picture, is a madcap and costly idea. (Picture by Tom Tardif, 1043235)
TWO St Andrew’s residents who questioned why trees were being planted at the back of the parish’s reservoir said they were surprised by the answers they received.
Jill and Christopher Lucas’s home at Rue des Landes is separated from the site by an open field.
When they got up on Friday morning they noticed 12 large silver birch trees on the land below, waiting to be planted.
‘When I called Guernsey Water I was told that the Environment Department had made them do it as a screening measure,’ said Mrs Lucas. ‘It seems a madcap idea to screen something that can’t be seen from road level.’
Guernsey Water director of Water Services Andrew Redhead said the trees were part of a much bigger picture.
- Read the full story in the Guernsey Press. See below for subscription details.
- To read Guernsey Press stories in full click here for subscription details. Individual editions are now available online.
Island Life
All about Guernsey
Ambassador of the Year 2011
History & Heritage
Visitor Information
Guernsey's government
Campaigns
Voice For Victims
Voice for Victims is a campaign aimed at promoting the rights of those affected by child sexual abuse.
This is Guernsey
Guernsey Press
Useful Links
I don’t understand why this even makes the news… It’s a tree?
Report abuse
Wow, got to be a slow day on the editorial desk…this is not news, it is merely something that has happened. If the press wants to interview me about how and why i brushed my cat this morning then get in touch !
Report abuse
Well said Mr G.
Clearly the issue here is that that instead of contributing to global destruction the fact that Guernsey Water is attempting to make things better proves how people get upset at the lack of bad things to moan about LOL
Report abuse
I wonder what this `much bigger picture`is all about.
Report abuse
Only the Press could make “States Plants Trees” into a bad news story!
Report abuse
Will no one put an end to this tree planting madness.
Report abuse
Spot on damo and Mr G. Mr and Mrs Lucas must live extremely sheltered lives if they consider the planting of a few trees worthy of a complaint to the local media. Goodness only knows what they would do if they ever encountered a real problem.
I suggest they take a few trips abroad to broaden their horizons.
Report abuse
Number Three: The Larch
Report abuse
At first I thought that this was rather strange….. to be complaining about some trees being planted!…….. until that is, I bothered to read the full article. They are not complaining about the trees being planted…… they were merely questioning the sense in planting very expensive fully grown trees of a non-indigenous variety that do not have a very long life span, and planting them in an exposed and windswept area. Indigenous whips or saplings would fare much better and cost (us) much less and last longer.
Shame so many people jump onto the slagging bandwaggon before checking out the facts.
Report abuse
rosie – valid point but how do you know that people didn’t read the whole article before commenting?
I’m man enough to admit I didn’t but nothing you have written has changed my view that trivial matters like this are not newsworthy.
In fact as someone who I recall is very vocal about recycling and waste management issues perhaps you would agree with me that if the GP stopped printing non-stories like this they could cut down the amount of paper they use and in doing so help the environment? :)
Report abuse
Paul,
I agree that the story is trivial….. utterly. That was not my point. My point was simply that the couple are not anti trees being planted as suggested here….. simply the inappropriateness of the way it was being done.
If we wanted the GP to cut down on paper, for my money the first thing to go would be the motoring supplement that seems to come out way too often. Great big bulky thing that it is trying to convince us all that we need to up-grade our car(s)! ;-)
Report abuse
Thanks for the reply rosie.
I’ve realised there is actually a lesson to be learned here. Who is wasting more time, the person who reported the (non) story or the suckers who fell into the trap and wasted their time commenting on it?!
Busted! Note to self – wipe egg off face and stop wasting time commenting on silly, pointless stories!
Report abuse
All content that GEP produce can be accessed online for those that wish to do their bit for the environment.
Report abuse
Not all is lost with this.
A story about some trees might actually same more trees.
There is always a silver cloud.
Report abuse
Erm, firstly, Silver Birch is native to this part of the world.
But dang, the way they are planted sure look like they don’t belong here at all. The aesthetic ‘quality’ of this clump is poor to say the least.
Also, for the price of these – they could be £40 each so that’s £480, you could buy about 500 Oak or Ash saplings and plant out a considerable area.
Best to take these 12 back to the nursery and do a better job, I reckon.
Report abuse
Oh the humanity.
Report abuse
This all just highlights the randon nature of our beloved Environment Dept. Perhaps this is why the GEP editor thought it was newsworthy.
@ Donkey’s Wotsits…The price..£40 you reckon..judging by the size of those trees more like £400 each at local prices.
I’m not sure though, they don’t seem to fit in with their surroundings, the colour is all wrong and they stand out far too much but it must be ok ’cause the Env. Dept. wants them, if the waterboard had asked specifically for silver birch trees I wonder what the Env. Dept. would’ve said.
I’m thinking a nice fence along by them would help protect them..!
Report abuse
Some of you people are real sad cases. I think they look superb. Why does everything need to blend in?
The telecommunications mast looks well natural in its surroundings after all.
They are there for a good reason. This will become clearer in the not too distant future.
Would the neighbours prefer to look at these fine specimens or the sight of light industrial buildings?
A lot more trees will be planted very soon.
Here is a link for the whingers to chew the fat over.
http://www.cmld.co.uk/andrews.html
Report abuse
No! No complaints,
But just a thought and a song from my perhaps misspent early days. or maybe just a recollection..
Remember that song from ‘Painted waggon’
“I talk to the trees
But they don’t listen to me
I talk to the stars
But they never hear me.
The breeze hasn’t time
To stop, and hear what I say
I talk to them all in Vain–
and so on—
Report abuse
Perhaps the Enviroment Department has misunderstood the pleas of posters on other threads to bring back the birch!
Report abuse
Really!” it’s all a bit of a lark (ch)
Report abuse
As someone who has lived in central London I am totally dumbfounded by this story.
One can only presume one is frightened one’s country view may be impeded by of all things a tree… Try living by a main line railway station….
Report abuse
I thought the complaint was that the time, effort and expense should have gone into something else.
Report abuse
Thanks for the info, Paul.
Has anyone actually followed Paul’s link and had a look at what they’re proposing to build down there….?!!
Report abuse
I misread the news story, I thought it was to do with the St Saviours Reservoir, I don’t really count the St Andrews one as the ‘reservoir’.
I thought it was quite well known that there is building work happening at St Andrews?
Report abuse