Metal barriers have been installed as work got underway to chop down 150-year-old trees in Tooting Common.

Workmen moved in, erecting a tall green wall around both lines of trees in Chestnut Avenue, this morning (Monday, September 25).

Road signs prevented pedestrian access and a flyer explaining the works has been put on the fences.

Letters have been sent to residents in the surrounding area, saying that 51 trees will be felled while 64 replacements will be planted.

While the flyer did not specify when the works would occur, it did reiterate plans announced by the council as well as previous public consultations and commissioned reports.

Almost 5,000 residents signed a petition asking the Council not to fell the trees and regular protests have previously been organised by the #StoptheChop campaign.

Wandsworth Times:

Photo: Courtesy of @savechestnutavenue

Tooting MP Dr Rosena Allin-Khan said she was ‘deeply disappointed’ that the council is ‘showing complete disregard for residents’ views, values and opinions’, and feels that there is ‘no doubt’ the issue will arise again at the local elections in May next year.

She added: “This is probably the most current local issues because what it represents is that it’s not just a bunch of residents who are tree-hugging individuals who don’t want to see foliage cut down. It’s the principle that you don’t have a voice as a local resident, if you can’t communicate with your local council and have a voice.

“No one is disputing the safety element of it. I like to ride my bike there, I take my children there every weekend, and I was there yesterday.

“What sort of place do we live in? What is Wandsworth if not a place that you should be able to express your feelings, your views, [and] your concerns to your council?”

Contractors have been seen unloading equipment from vehicles in what appears to be the beginning of the arboricultural works.

Wandsworth Times:

Photo: Courtesy of @savechestnutavenue

Fleur Anderson, Labour councillor for Balham and Tooting Bec, who was on the common today, said: “I’ve been on the common today, I’ve seen them and it’s very dramatic. I think the way it is being done actually shows how heavy handed this is, and it has been very heavy handed by the council from the start.

“It will be heart-breaking for people to see over those barriers and see the trees being cut down in the next few days, and I will just call on the council to stop and start talking to local people.”

Some residents saw the car park being closed and the barriers going up, which then prompted them to announce to others what was going on.

While barriers were being put up some people tried to prevent contractors from carrying out the works but were unsuccessful.

Last week, Mayor of London Sadiq Khan spoke out about the plans for Chestnut Avenue, urging Wandsworth Council to 'urgently review the research which has been produced'.

In response, deputy council leader Jonathan Cook said: "The simple fact of the matter is that the council is proposing to plant 64 semi-mature small leafed lime trees along Chestnut Avenue. These trees are already nearly 20 feet tall and will ensure a healthy and flourishing tree-lined avenue is preserved on the common for future generations to enjoy.

“They will replace 51 horse chestnuts that have been assessed by different teams of experts as being in decline and approaching the end of their natural lifespan. A combination of old age and disease means they are unlikely to survive in their current form for any significant length of time and will unfortunately soon become much more susceptible to loss of limb or sudden collapse.

“Left untouched they will soon start to pose a serious risk to passers-by.”

A Wandsworth Council spokesperson said: "No-one wants to lose big trees for no  reason but unfortunately the inescapable conclusion from our own in-house arboricultural experts and the independent consultants who’ve examined these trees is that they are in serious decline through old age and disease and are beginning to pose a risk to the public.

"One fell over without warning last year and another had to be felled in June because it was in danger of sudden collapse. We cannot take any risks with the safety of the public.​"

“We are planting 64 semi-mature replacements, more than are there now, each around 18 feet tall, that will form a new avenue that can be enjoyed by our children and grandchildren, giving them the same gift the Victorians so generously gave us.

"It means this important landmark feature will be preserved for the next 150 years and beyond with the new trees adding to the more than 3,300 others that make Tooting Common such a special and much loved green space."