Knapp Close bungalows to see the light after 30-year-old Cypress trees removed

A ROW of Lawsons Cypress trees will be removed from behind bungalows in Knapp Close, Sidmouth.

The work is being carried out by East Devon Tree Care over the next fortnight and is being done to allow more light to both a meadow and gardens adjacent to the trees.

Sid Vale Association owns the Peaslands Knapp meadow, which it manages for wildlife.

Conifer hedges make the soil around them more acidic and their removal will benefit wildlife and wild flowers.

The rapidly growing trees were planted some 30 years ago by a previous owner.

Immediate neighbours have been consulted over the year and are happy for the work to go ahead.

This will involve felling and cutting the trees on the meadow, then chipping into a tractor and trailer parked on Peaslands Road.

The road will not be closed, but the path up the slope will close on the days the tree surgeons are working.

Sid Vale Association volunteer Kate Tobin said: “This will inevitably be a noisy job, and there will be damage to the ground where the trees are processed.

“It’s a bit like pulling off a plaster – painful at the time, but best to get it over with quickly and then the healing can begin!”

She said SVA plans to replace the line of conifers with a hedgerow of native species such as hazel, hawthorn and rowan, rich in berries and nuts, “which will be a better habitat for wildlife and a more attractive landscape feature.”