UP to 5,000 trees along the Colwick Loop Road may be chopped down after new cases of Ash Dieback disease were discovered on the route.
Nottinghamshire County Council is seeking approval for a £500,000 pot of money from the Transport and Highways Committee to tackle this problem – which will see 80 per cent of the trees on the A612 felled.
The council claims there was a "backlog" of work when it came to tree maintenance in the county, as budget constraints and rising costs meant only basic safety work had been carried out – at a cost of £465,000 for the 167,000 tress it is responsible for.
This has led to overgrown trees blocking road signs and reaching vehicles, cyclists and pedestrians.
But the diseased trees are also a priority, in order to stop the spread to other trees and to prevent them becoming unsafe.
There is a reserve fund of £500,000 that was put aside by the council last year to deal specifically with Ash Dieback disease – but it needs the approval of the Transport and Highways Committee before it is released.
The council also wants to use the money to carry out major tree maintenance work along the A611 through Annesley Forest and the A38 Sutton in Ashfield bypass.
The committee will meet on October 9 to make its decision.
