Such a sad loss

I WOULD like to express my extreme disappointment about the number of magnificent old trees that have been destroyed to make way for a new cycle path in Gwelup.

A few Sundays ago, my husband and I were in our back yard and commented on how lucky we were to overlook so many beautiful old trees.

To my horror, a few days later, a large section of these magnificent old trees were cleared in a matter of hours by a bulldozer.

These magnificent old trees made our suburb a beautiful and healthy place to live.

They were a buffer from freeway noise, they filtered fumes, they filtered dust, they screened the Balcatta industrial area.

These trees were homes to birds, bees and animals.

The section that I can see is only just the beginning ” they have not finished clearing yet ” but every day I see less and less trees as I look down Gribble Road towards the freeway.

We are living in a time when housing blocks are getting smaller.

People don’t plant big gum trees in their back yards, so why are we destroying our old trees in our bushland?

I don’t understand why the cycle path needs to go behind homes adjacent to the freeway when there is an existing dual-use path that runs along Gribble Road.

It’s a waste of taxpayers’ money and a waste of a bushland.

I seriously question if the planners and engineers actually visited our area?

How can the destruction of so much native flora and fauna be OK?

I personally have not received any written notification or seen any consultation with the local community on how this will affect local residents.

Yes, trees can be replanted, but it will take years and years to replace the size of trees that have been destroyed.

I sit here in my study now looking at industrial sheds from across the freeway, feeling extremely annoyed that I can’t do a thing about it. So sad.

MEAGAN ARMSTRONG, Gwelup