People only have a few days left to have their say about Plymouth City Council ’s decision to chop down more than 100 Armada Way trees in March 2023. An independent inquiry into the regeneration has begun, and will focus on whether the authority carried out sufficient consultations and the financial implications of its actions.
Three local government experts have been chosen to conduct the independent learning review and members of the public, city groups, businesses and interested organisations are invited to submit written representations. But they must complete an online form by January 6.
The review will look closely at the 2023 decision, signed by the then Tory council leader Richard Bingley, to press ahead with the redevelopment scheme and the destruction of 129 trees. A court injunction stopped the work later that day, after 110 mature trees had been chopped down, and the scheme was later torn up with an entirely new project announced by Labour’s Tudor Evans when he took control of the council two months later.
Cllr Evans also ordered the independent review, which will not look at the legality of the decision or seek to blame anyone but will look at what can be learned and any improvements that can be made. A report which will include the findings from the review and recommendations for the future, will be published in the spring of 2025.
The panel will examine what happened in the lead up to the trees being cut down, and why it happened. Panel members will consider facts relating to the development and approval of the original scheme.
The panel is reviewing all documentation relating to the scheme and will be speaking to those involved in the decision making and implementation. The council is also keen to give relevant key stakeholders who have an interest in the city centre scheme, including members of the public and businesses, the opportunity to feed their views to the panel.
One of the key areas the panel is considering is the role of consultation and engagement in the lead up to the decision being made – specifically whether there were adequate opportunities and information available for people to give their views.
Cllr Evans said: “I have made it clear that we want to learn from the past and if there are any areas that we could improve on for future large-scale developments, such as Armada Way, we want to make sure we do. The role of the public in the lead up to the decision being made by the previous administration was through consultation and engagement, to help shape the scheme. If anyone would like to give their views, I would encourage them to have their say.”
David Williams, chair of the review panel, said: “Over the next few months we have a lot of material to consider. We want to understand the process that the council went through in preparing the original decision, the governance around it, the previous consultations, the implementation stage and indeed the financial implications.
“Whilst much of this information has already been collated for the various legal stages, if members of the public, or other external stakeholders want to give their views, we will of course consider their feedback. It is important to remember that the purpose of this review is to identify improvements for the future.
“To make sure that any areas that could be strengthened or bolstered in future regeneration projects are taken on board. If you have a constructive view that you would like to be considered, please complete the form so that my colleagues and I can take it into account.”
The action group Save The Trees of Armada Way (Straw) is also reminding people to submit their views and is urging people to submit their comments by tomorrow (Friday, January 3) or Sunday, January 5, “at the latest” so as not to miss Monday’s deadline.
For information, or to submit your views, go to: Armada Way Independent Learning Review, .
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