Falkirk Council: Pledge to restore trees at Helix ripped out to make way for road improvements
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The council says that the clearance work – which will last for ten weeks in total – is necessary to make the way for road and cycleway improvements that are part of a major project to improve links between Falkirk and Grangemouth. The project will also see the creation of a new sustainable drainage system in Helix Park to help the area cope with flooding that might be caused by more roads being built.
The council has pledged to plant 230 semi-mature trees alongside wildflowers to replace those that have been lost and say that the changes will actually lead to an increase in biodiversity.
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Hide AdSince the work started in late February, many passers-by have been alarmed to see the number of trees that have been cleared from the area.
Some of the work has encroached into Helix Park, causing concerns for many who use the popular park, with some saying “it looks like the Somme”.
Before the work began, the council announced “improvement works in and around the Westfield roundabout and A904 Grangemouth Road towards the M9 Junction”. They added that this would include “ground investigation work and the removal of encroaching tree growth from along the roadside”.
The work is part of the very early stages of a massive project to turn the A9 and the A904 around Westfield Stadium into dual carriageway.
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Hide AdMuch of the attention for the project has gone to the proposed Westfield Crossing, which will help pedestrians and cyclists cross four roads that will all be dual carriageway. But the work will also see an additional three roundabouts being created, including one at West Mains, between Falkirk and the Earlsgate roundabout.
Work on the underpass that leads from Helix Park to Falkirk Stadium is also part of the plan to improve travel links in the area for cyclists and pedestrians.
The addition of all of these new roads will, however, make it more difficult for surface water to run-off and could lead to increased flooding. In order to prevent this, parts of Helix Park will be landscaped to become areas of flood attenuation, with the capacity to hold flood waters while they drain at a controlled rate.
The idea is that when not managing flood waters these areas will become wetland, an additional to the wetland that is already a key feature of Helix Park.
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Hide AdThe council insists that any effect on Helix Park’s landscaping will be temporary.
A spokesperson said: “Helix Park remains a fabulous attraction for the area and any work undertaken there will always be sympathetic to the environment as well as retaining its attractiveness when work is fully completed.”
They added: “The scheme has taken account of existing environment and ecology throughout the design process and on completion of the final scheme will provide enhanced habitats and biodiversity.”