By Sarah Curran
A COMMUNITY led petition is calling on officials to reconsider plans to fell a number of trees along Groomsport’s Main Street.
The recently launched petition was discussed at last week’s AGM of Groomsport Village Association, when the village’s In Bloom lead, John Weir, highlighted the Department for Infrastructure’s (DfI) plans to chop the urban trees to repair and prevent pavement damage.
Mr Weir, who worked as a national advisor for the Forestry Commission, said he had noticed some spray paint markings appear on several trees around the village last year, and contacted Ards and North Down Council.
He was redirected to the DfI, who told him the marked trees were damaging the pavements and that their preferred option was to fell them and replace them with something more suitable.
The green-fingered volunteer noted that the marked trees were very healthy and added to the village’s pleasing aesthetic, and is calling on officials to consider other options to repair and prevent pavement damage.
However, Mr Weir stated that ‘ultimately’ it was council planners ‘who have the final say’ on the future of the trees.
“The DfI made it very clear they were basing their thinking on cost,” he said. “They didn’t deny there were ways to engineer the pavement to allow the trees to live on and make the pavement safe.”
He continued: “These trees are probably 40 years old and you can’t replace that overnight.”
“From the day you plant a tree in an urban environment, those trees will have to be managed their whole lives because they will grow and they will put out roots,” Mr Weir added.
With Groomsport Village Association proud of its accolade as Best Kept Large Village in Northern Ireland for 2025, Mr Weir said he felt the decision to fell the trees without consultation made their efforts ‘unimportant’.
He said: “We weren’t consulted. We had to find this out with me digging, otherwise the first thing we would have known about it was the trees being felled.”
With the plans shelved until after nesting season, the community is hoping to use the summer months to stimulate some interest in the urban trees and have already gathered several hundred signatures against the plans on a paper petition, with plans for an online petition soon.
Mr Weir said that the council had managed to ‘pour more fire’ on the situation, when they planted five rowan trees near the village cenotaph without consultation.
Mr Weir stressed that it had been ‘unreasonable’ to not consult with the village association on plans that affected Groomsport.
“I know from my professional background that there are ways that the pavements could be engineered to give those trees a long and healthy life.”
Mr Weir acknowleged that work was needed to ensure the safety of the pavements, but believed officials were taking a ‘shortcut’ without considering the ‘value’ of the trees in the community.
He said: “We have a group of dedicated volunteers who look after the village and as you can imagine they are all quite devastated. They pour their heart and soul into looking after the place.”
“We are representing Northern Ireland in the national competition. The council put us forward. This is the same council that wants to damage the village,” he concluded.
A paper petition can be found at Groomsport Parish Church.
The Department for Infrastructure have been contacted for comment.
A spokeswoman for Ards and North Down Council said: “Council are not responsible for these trees, they are DfI owned and maintained.”
