LONDON PLANE TREES IN PARLIAMENT STREET AND WHITEHALL

That this House expresses its sadness at Westminster City Council's decision to fell 12 mature London plane trees and other species of tree in Parliament Street, Whitehall and its environs as part of the council's recently commenced Whitehall Streetscape Project; regrets the sudden loss of these majestic trees from Westminster for spurious reasons of security; further regrets the damage done to London's heritage and the local environmental degradation resulting from the felling of these historic trees, which have formed the backdrop to many important State occasions during the past 60 years, not least the annual National Service of Remembrance at the Cenotaph; notes with concern the lack of proper public consultation on this element of the project; further notes with concern that only one tree remains visible in the artist's impression of the completed scheme; and calls on Westminster City Council immediately to halt its destruction of these important trees to allow a review of the Whitehall Streetscape Project to permit the remaining trees' inclusion in future works to ensure their preservation for future generations.