IT'S 'that time of year again' for the residents of The Cooperage in Lenten Street – a time when the berries from a yew tree fall onto the pavement skirting the entrance to Ladyplace car park and make it almost impossible for them to walk into town. The Cooperage manager, Sue Wright, says it is an ongoing problem and one East Hampshire District Council appears loath to address. But for the 38 residents of the sheltered housing development for which she is responsible, it is a real concern. With access onto the road serving the car park from Lenten Street, residents have two routes into town. One is to venture out along the service road and to cross Lenten Street to the pavement on the opposite side, which is considered dangerous for elderly folk who may find it difficult to walk or who are wheelchair bound. The other – normally considered the safest option – is to take the more direct route through Ladyplace car park. There is a pavement which skirts the Ladyplace flats but the stumbling block is on the corner, as the access road enters the car park proper, where a Yew tree stands on the bank between the footpath and the road. Not only does this require the footpath to make a steep ascent, but the resulting 'hump' is forced ever upward by the Yew tree's growing root system. And in the autumn, the problem is exacerbated when the berries from the Yew drop onto the pavement making is slippery and extremely difficult to negotiate. Three years ago EHDC put up a handrail on the building side to assist anyone brave enough to tackle the steep incline. Mrs Wright is at the end of her tether. "Every year I phone Alton Town Council and East Hampshire District Council and ask them to address the problem but the Yew tree is protected by a Tree Preservation Order and cannot be removed." According to Mrs Wright, the ramp is so steep and slippery that people are afraid to walk over it so they are forced to walk in the road which, on an almost blind bend and at the speed some vehicles travel, is almost suicidal. Not only that, but the pavement at that point is so narrow and steep that wheelchair users are unable to use it at all. Mrs Wright is concerned that before long one of her elderly residents will slip and fall whilst negotiating the path or get run over in an attempt to find a way round it. And she is urging EHDC, as the council responsible, to consider removing the tree. The choice, it seems, is whether a yew tree – beautiful as it is – is more valuable than the safety of infirm pavement users. An EHDC spokesperson said: "The car park and, therefore, the tree are within the Alton Conservation area. It is an important specimen that contributes to the local landscape and the character of the Conservation Area. For these reasons, over the years the council has resisted felling the tree, but has pruned where it hangs over the path, and back from the adjacent building. A handrail has also been put in next to the tree to help those using the pavement" He continued: "At this time of year, for a relatively short period, the tree does drop berries. The pathway will be swept at least once a week, more often if required so that everything is being done to ensure the safety of the users of the pavement, whilst retaining this important tree."
