Cramlington residents 'devastated' after trees cut back, reducing their privacy from council depot

Some addresses on Gresham Close back onto a Northumberland County Council depot, but residents are now being disturbed by noise and can see into the site as the trees that once screened their gardens have been all but removed.

Michael Hume, who lived on the street with his elderly mum, told the Northumberland Gazette that he and some of his neighbours were not consulted before the trees were cut back and that workers at the depot can now see directly into their gardens.

He said: “Probably the worst thing about it is that we have always had the trees there, it feels safe and secure in your back garden.

“Luckily the lights have been turned off, so that is one problem gone, but the noise and the view is going to be absolutely devastating this summer.”

According to Michael there is widespread discontent on the street with the work that has been done, even from the residents that requested the trees be cut back.

He said: “It has devastated the whole street. The whole street is upset about it, even the people who have had the trees chopped down. They only asked for branches chopped down.”

The issue has become a “bugbear” for Michael. He said: “My mum is not interested now in getting her plants ready for the summer. I have got all her plants ready in the garage and she said there is no point in putting them in this summer because she will not be outside.”

He added: “It is upsetting me a lot because my dad used to look after the garden and he suddenly passed away. I just know he would be turning in his grave if he knew this was happening.”

As well as the view and noise, Michael is concerned about workers at the council site being able to see into gardens, and believes this will impact house prices on the street.

He said: “My mum cannot even sit and have breakfast at the table because the blokes can look straight into our kitchen, which has never ever happened before. She has lived here 50 years.”

According to Michael, only a few residents on the street were consulted and many that have been impacted knew nothing until workers arrived to cut the trees.

Michael said: “It is going to cost the council money because they are going to have to put more trees up and they are going to have to put trellis up on the back of all the fences to cover it.”

A spokesperson for the council said: “Northumberland County Council has removed some shrubs and hedging from inside the fence line of an operational base used by our grounds maintenance and street cleansing service.

“This work was undertaken in response to complaints raised by some adjoining home owners over the impact the vegetation was having on their properties and following a consultation exercise.

“Having undertaken the works a small number of homeowners have raised concerns that this has had a negative effect on their outlook and we are in discussions with them to identify and agree improvements that can be made to resolve these concerns.”