Police were called after a row erupted over a group of trees on a residential street in south Manchester – and a group of locals tied themselves to them in a bid to prevent them being chopped down.
Horrified neighbours took action against the felling of trees in the grounds of a property on Birch Polygon in Rusholme. The 'peaceful' protest began on Wednesday when three locals initially tied themselves to trees when they realised what workers were doing.
Their number then swelled to over half a dozen on Thursday morning after efforts on Wednesday evening and overnight to prevent the trees from coming down through official means.
Local councillor Jill Lovecy told the Manchester Evening News that attempts to secure a Tree Preservation Order (TPO) were unsuccessful.
A spokesperson for Manchester City Council confirmed they were assessed by an arborist but that they didn't meet the necessary requirements for a TPO.
In what have been described by witnesses as 'tense' scenes, protestors remained tied to the trees as work carried on around them on Thursday morning with police attending the scene.
The protestors said they were initially told by officers it was not a criminal matter but that it could be classed as trespass if they didn't leave their property if and when asked to by the landowner.
And when the landlord arrived on the street early on Thursday afternoon they ended the protest of their own accord.
A spokesperson for Greater Manchester Police (GMP) confirmed officers attended but said the protestors left of their own accord and no arrests were made.
The M.E.N understands there were around 20 trees on the site, which is a house of multiple occupancy housing students with a large garden, with around a dozen having been felled as of Thursday evening. However, one nearby resident said by Friday morning they had all been removed.
One of the locals involved in the protest, called Jay, told the M.E.N: "They started making loud noises about 9:30 in the morning (on Wednesday). We all knew there would be some work going on but we underestimated it.
"We just thought they'd be doing some pruning or something like that. I came out into the street and one of my neighbours was really upset about it, was pointing and saying they were cutting the trees down. I didn't really process at the time they were.
"Me and my housemate went out to talk to them, the person who runs the tree surgeon company. We asked to speak to the landlord they said they weren't able to.
"I came back inside and could see how much they were destroying.I went out and asked if there was anything I could do about it. I then asked what we would do if I tied myself to the tree?
"And he said 'I don't know what I'd do.' So I came inside got a jacket, got some rope went out and tied myself to the tree.
"Everyone is just really, really upset about it" she added. "People were walking onto the street and saying how supportive they were. People were texting and ringing us as well. No one wanted this to happen."
Jay was joined by two others for the protest on Wednesday which lasted around four hours before workers left the scene. However, they resumed their action and were joined by several others with seven people tied to different trees next to the property at one point this morning (Thursday).
They said by the time they resumed their action on Thursday two of the trees they had been trying to protect had been cut down.
Another of those involved, who identified herself as Duchess said it was a 'community response.' "Is 'it's my land and my garden' really a justification when we're in a climate crisis when we need green areas in cities, and there's been no notice given to residents of when this is happening and how many trees are being taken down beforehand.
"In a climate crisis, you shouldn't be able to just rip down trees because you want them cleared away.
Another protester called Sophie said: "Even though those trees are getting cut down it's part of a bigger fight if we can somehow get all the trees in the city protected, there needs to be a law, it really should be against the law to do what they've done. It really should."
Concerns were also raised by locals about the potential for future development on the site. According to the city council's planning portal there are no outstanding planning applications for the site.
The M.E.N's attempts to contact the property's owner were unsuccessful.
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