Inquiry underway to get to root of why those Torquay seafront palm trees were axed

An internal review is under way in Torbay to find out why 40 seafront palm trees were cut down without any warning.
There has been a public outcry since the palms in the Italian Gardens on Torquay seafront were felled just before Christmas.

Torbay Council and its in-house parks and gardens company SWISCo say the 50-year-old trees were decaying and needed replacing and will be replaced by a better landscaped project and new trees which was first mooted in 2019.
But local people were stunned to see bare stumps where the trees had been, and are demanding answers over how decisions to axe them were taken, and why there was no current public consultation beforehand.
The council has confirmed that an internal review is being carried out to understand the sequence of events.
Cllr Adam Billings (Con, Churston with Galmpton) is the cabinet member for pride in place. He said: “I am confident that once the replacement planting has been completed, the Italian Gardens will once again become a wonderful part of our English Riviera seafront.
“However, as neither I nor any of my cabinet was made aware of the planned works, it is imperative that there is a full understanding of the historical background to the palms’ removal. There are clearly vital lessons that need to be learned.”
The review is expected to conclude in the new year, with the outcomes being publicly available.
Meanwhile, the company that cut down the trees has confirmed that it didn’t ask the council for permission to do it – because it says it didn’t have to.
Despite four directors of SWISCo also being senior council officers the company says it didn’t tell officers or cabinet members.
A new garden costing around £30,000 will be developed by next spring, and the removal of the palms is part of preparatory work.
In a new ‘Frequently Asked Questions’ page on its website, SWISCo has explained why leading councillors were in the dark when quizzed over the felling.
“No officers or current cabinet members were made aware, or gave any instruction around the commencement of the work,” it says.
“The company was set up to deliver services for the council in a way that meant it did not need to ask formal permission to undertake works to parks and gardens, including replacement planting in Torbay.”
SWISCo has also given details of the consultations which took place ahead of the work.
It says informal discussions took place with community group Abbey Park Friends and the Torbay Chamber of Commerce four years ago.
It goes on: “Our error was not carrying out the work itself, but in failing to carry out a new consultation with the council prior to commencing the work.
“We have taken full responsibility for this error, together with the assurance that we will take on board the community’s comments as to how to create an Italian Garden Torbay can be proud of.”
The next stage will be to dig out the stumps of the felled palms and then putting in 16,000 new plants. The new design will include several ‘cabbage’ palms such as those taken down.
The statement goes on: “We are very aware of the strength of feeling about the palms so are working with our designer and local experts to see if we can increase the number of palms in the new scheme.”