The Nevada Group will be replacing some of the trees that were cut down at the site where the proposed shopping centre will be situated.
On April 6 the NEWS reported about the concerns of some of Modderfontein residents after several trees were cut down to make way for the proposed development of the Lakeside Shopping Centre.
Ms Margie Pretorius, a Modderfontein resident, was shocked when she saw some of the trees being cut down.
“This is the day we’ve been dreading and have fought against for the last 10 years. They have started to cut down our forest,” said Ms Pretorius.
“Nine years ago the residents of Lakeside Village and Thornhill Estate came together and held a picnic in the forest in a futile attempt to protest the planned decimation of the trees and the building of a shopping centre.
“We tied yellow ribbons around our precious trees, we signed a petition against the destruction of the forest – all in vain. Once again the quest for monetary gain has triumphed over the need to preserve the little bit of green belt which we have left, in total disregard of the history and heritage of the area,” said Ms Pretorius.
She said requests by residents to not go ahead with the plan had fallen on deaf ears as the construction of the shopping centre seemed to be going ahead.
However, in a statement, Nevada Group said the trees that were removed would be replaced with new ones.
The statement also said that Nevada group had appointed an independent tree specialist to assess the health of the trees and to identify which were healthy and which were at risk of falling.
“The feedback from the specialist is that the current trees are alien pine trees and are therefore not ecologically suitable for the area.
“These pine trees draw up a great volume of ground water and prevent other plants and trees from thriving in the area, which is why you do not see any grass or plants underneath the pine trees.”
The statement further said that of all the trees assessed, it was found that 26 trees where ‘sick’ and the recommendation of removing those had been put forward.
“Understanding the emotional connection to the trees, the healthy trees will be responsibly removed, which means they will be recycled and re-purposed by a furniture manufacturer.” Nevada said the funds raised from the recycled trees will be used to purchase new, local indigenous trees for the area.
On April 7, Nevada Group said that all trees that have been removed will be replaced.
“These trees are currently in a nursery and when the site is ready, they will be planted on-site. We are working with an award-winning landscaper to ensure the project is of the utmost quality. We have always maintained that the trees would be replaced, as seen in the statement released on the Lakeside website https://www.shoplakeside.co.za/press.”
“We will donate a portion of the money raised towards a local charity and we would appreciate your nominations for such a charity to be sent to lakeside@nevadagroup.co.za.”
