The Church Environment Commission believes that there are a number of ways in which the government can save trees – and actually increase their number – ranging from planting them along roads to recognising areas where trees are part of a site’s character.

The first proposal is linked to the government pledge to rebuild all the roads over a seven-year period, with the Commission saying that many of these could have trees incorporated into their design.

Still on the subject of roads, the Commission lamented that trees were sometimes removed because not enough “efforts, skills and innovation” were applied to safeguard them.

The importance of trees to the community is not diminished by whether they are situated in Urban Conservation Areas or not

“It is understandable that in certain cases, there is no alternative to the removal of trees,” it acknowledged, but said that under the Development Notification Order procedure, “trees can be destroyed without any evidence being presented that all efforts have been made to spare the trees from destruction”.

It also pointed out that the protection of trees was somewhat random, with a species of trees being protected if it stood in an Urban Conservation Area, but not outside it.

“The importance of trees to the community is not diminished by whether they are situated in Urban Conservation Areas or not,” it noted.

It also praised certain areas where trees were prominent landmarks, or part of a street’s aesthetics – and suggested that the Environment and Resources Authority should be entrusted to compile a list of these sites.

Its final appeal was for the government to reconsider its plans for a racetrack in Ta’ Qali, rather to increase the recreational area and plant more trees there.

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