Statement by London Borough of Bromley
On 29 December 1999 Channel 4 broadcast a programme entitled
'Time Team'. During the programme, trees were shown apparently being felled in a woodland
in Bromley. This was for a project which involved the reconstruction of 'sea-henge' an
ancient monument in Norfolk. Following the programme a number of residents contacted
Bromley Council expressing concern that the Council had allowed the felling of the trees
and in particular the uprooting of a 150 year old oak.
The trees are in a wood within Bromley Borough where all the
trees are protected by Tree Preservation Orders. Any work to these trees needs the
agreement of the Council before work is undertaken. No consent was given for the felling
to take place and the Council will now be considering whether to prosecute those involved
in authorising and undertaking the work.
The woodland is part of an area which has been managed in the
past as part of a coppice system. This means that some smaller trees are coppiced or cut
down to ground level which then re-grows and the wood is used for commercial purposes.
This technique has been a part of forestry management for many hundreds of years and is a
sustainable means of managing woodlands. However it does not involve the removal of roots
from trees or the felling of mature trees which happened in this case.
Bromley Council was not asked for its permission for the tree
felling, nor was the Forestry Authority who grant-aid woodland management. The action of
those responsible will now be fully investigated by the Council. Fines of up to £20,000
for the unlawful felling of individual trees can be given out by the Courts.
Our advice is always for contact to be made with the local
Council before undertaking any tree works to see if consent
is required before starting work.
Coral Gibson
Tree Conservation Officer
Fire at Flag Fen - It has
been reported in the local press that Seahenge came close to being destroyed on the 13th
January when fire ripped through the Flag Fen site destroying much of its valuable
records.
Fire crews were called from
Peterborough and Whittlesey, but were unable to save the post-excavation building and the
education centre from damage.
Seahenge was housed in
separate buildings away from the seat of the fire and was undamaged.
Unfortunately Flag Fen has lost irreplaceable records dating back 30 years. It is
not yet known what caused the fire.
'Debating Seahenge' - School of World Art
Studies and Museology, UEA, Norwich.
The University of East Anglia is to hold a
one day seminar on March 11th to which interested parties have been invited to provide a
brief presentation. The meeting called, 'Debating Seahenge', is intended as a forum
to re-visit and discuss some of the issues raised by the debate surrounding the discovery
and excavation of Seahenge. The controversial decision to excavate the site brought
angry responses from interested groups, not only locally, but from around the world.
The aim of this debate is to try and find some ethical and practical solutions,
particularly for archaeologists who recurrently find themselves in such situations.
Pat Fisher, editor of these pages, has been
invited to attend and she will be presenting a report of these proceedings as soon as
possible after the seminar.
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