Monterey Pines at Penryn Rugby Club need to be removed

The is the view of the club on Kernick Road where the trees seven trees occupy a space overhanging the rugby club car park and the road.

It has applied for permission to remove all seven trees, all of which are the subject of a tree preservation order, as it is concerned that the trees have a limited useful life remaining.

The trees are a mix of early-mature and mature trees growing on the bank between Kernick Road and the car park.

Under the crown of the trees are Cornish Paws Vets and rugby club buildings. The club says these buildings are not even constructed to withstand branch failure and a whole branch falling would be “catastrophic”.

A report from Evolve Tree Consultancy based in Truro says one of the trees, a mature one, at the western end has already been removed under an emergency notice following a storm in the winter of 2022.

“This resulted in the loss of the mature tree at the western end of the group due to partial root failure and excessive loss and the TPO had not been amended to reflect this loss.”

It says a further tree to west has also been removed but it was not the subject of TPO.

Now it wants to remove the rest of the trees as they say it has become too dangerous to leave them.

“The soil around the trees is most likely made ground and the rooting environment less than ideal,” the club says in its application.

“The presence of surface rooting over the limited areas of exposed ground indicate that soils are not deep and conditions are not optimal.

“The presence of the car parking on one side and the retaining wall to the south, above the pavement and road, present a reduced arear available for roots.

“The concern is that the remainder of the group have a limited useful life remaining and the risk they present is too great a burden for a sports club to reasonably manage.”

The club is proposing the removal of the trees and replacing them with native species row of oak, hawthorn, hazel and holly trees.

In his comments, the Cornwall Council tree officer supported the application saying: “The trees, while prominent in their roadside location, are poor examples of their species with a history of limb and whole tree failures.

“Their removal and replacement represents an excellent opportunity to establish new healthy, diverse trees on this grass bank, creating a pleasant long-term natural feature in the local landscape with all the associated benefits of trees in urban areas.”

Penryn Town Council is yet to recommend a course of action while a final decision will be made by Cornwall Council.