A replacement tree has been planted in Swindon’s The Parade to revive the spot where an old tree fell last October.
The Swindon Borough Council talked about the new tree. Last October, the old Catalpa tree fell. It stood outside Costa Coffee for decades. Visitors and residents loved that old tree. The team planted the new tree recently.
It is the same type as the old one. They hope this new tree grows well too. It should be like the old one. They put up fencing for protection.
Workers will fix the paving around the tree. Also, they will reinstall a plaque. Prince Philip put it there in 1961. He marked the shopping center’s start.
The old tree stood there over 40 years. It fell on October 28th last year. Luckily, it fell early in the morning. No one got hurt when the tree fell. The pavement around it did get damaged. The area was briefly closed off.
Workers made sure the area was safe. Nearby shops stayed open for people. Weeks before it fell, someone told the council that a shop owner knew the tree might fall.
Vince Ayris owns a shoe repair shop. He said the tree looked unstable. He told the council about it. Ayris spoke after the tree fell down.
He said he sees that tree every day. He knew that tree for over 40 years. He noticed the tree moved. It leaned more than before. He took photos and emailed them to the council. He wanted them to check the tree’s safety.
The council knew about the tree’s condition. They planned to bring it down safely, but it fell before they could do that.