Trees in Church Close Play Area

The play area was part of the Mapletoft Close development and was always intended to be taken over by Kettering Borough Council (now North Northamptonshire Council). But KBC had seen the trees in the play area, a relic of the school that used to be there, as a liability. They demanded that the developers pay for them to be felled before the handover could take place.
Following protests by neighbours, however, the Parish Council intervened to negotiate an arrangement whereby the trees are to be removed only over a period of years, after replacements have been planted. NNC has now advised that they have at last adopted the play area and will respect the agreement. They propose to plant 3-4 trees in the adjacent open space and allow them to establish before gradually removing the old trees, one of which is a priority for removal. The new trees will be of species they believe to be more suited to the area – details still to be notified.