The removal of trees from Castille Place to be replaced by a pedestrian area has irked some people who, every time the authorities suggest some project, are up in arms and go all out to stop such projects.

It has to be said that not every tree is in the right place. At the same time I fully agree with Vinny Vella who argued that magnificent and historical buildings around the world have no trees in front of their façades. The recent illustrations reproduced in The Times show quite clearly that trees were never planted there in the first place at Castille.

The reason is that such beautiful façades should be enjoyed as much as possible. The trees planted by the façade of Auberge de Castille were put there by the British Forces, not to embellish the place but to provide shade from the sun to the military offices working inside. Yes, the trees must go.

The happy planters of trees never carry out any impact assessment to avoid hazards and obstructions that may be caused to people.

A case in point is the planting of trees and high bushes at roundabouts, traffic islands and centre-strips. Motorists and pedestrians have to play hide-and-seek at these traffic points. Serious consideration should be given before trees and bushes are ever planted at such places.

As far as I know the Environmental Landscaping Consortium does carry out such studies but others do not even care about their true impact.