DUE TO hundreds of residents signing a petition and a planned protest, work to replace trees on Petersfield Square has been put on hold for now.

The stop notice has been issued so that campaigners can air their views on the proposed felling, and suggest alternatives to cutting them down.

Campaigners went into action after plans by officers jointly employed by Havant Borough Council and East Hampshire District Council to fell the trees were revealed shortly before the work was due to go ahead.

In response hundreds of angry residents signed a petition calling for the felling to be cancelled.

Campaigners also planned to hold a protest meeting in The Square if the work began.

The council says the three mature trees need to come down because their roots were pushing up cobbles and so causing a trip hazard.

But the campaigners said the proposal hadn’t been discussed and that other options, like raised beds around the base of the trees, should be considered.

The felling was due to start at about 8am on Monday, November 30, but the work was cancelled late on Friday, November 27.

The council says the trees would have been replaced by ones planted in ’root pots,’ these encourage the roots to grow downwards, rather than sideways.

In a statement to residents and local groups Simon Jenkins, EHDC’s Executive Manager for Planning Policy, Heritage and Compliance, said: "Three trees in the Square are causing safety issues and, unfortunately, some people have hurt themselves by tripping on the roots. We do have to resolve this hazard so that the Square can be enjoyed safely by everyone.

"Our plan was to replace the trees with three 19-feet-high field maples in the coming week.

"Given that our plan has caused a lot of concern, and that there is a risk that the works themselves might be disrupted in an unsafe way, we have decided not to carry out the works this week.

"We would now like to publish more information about our plans so that local residents can appreciate more fully what we are trying to do and suggest any other ways of solving this problem. We will look at all the suggestions and we won’t be doing any works to the trees until at least the new year.

"In the meantime, we will have to make sure that the areas around the trees stay safe."

Make suggestions direct to Simon Jenkins at [email protected].