Tree cutting behind Poppies' old Rockingham Road stadium '˜for safety reasons only'

Trees behind Kettering Town's old Rockingham Road stadium were cut down '˜for safety reasons only', it has been confirmed.
By The Newsroom
Published 27th Jun 2016, 13:42 BST
Updated 27th Jun 2016, 14:43 BST
This picture by Glyn Dobbs shows the work behind the old Poppies stadium.This picture by Glyn Dobbs shows the work behind the old Poppies stadium.
This picture by Glyn Dobbs shows the work behind the old Poppies stadium.

Work was carried out over the weekend which saw trees cut behind the away end of the run-down Poppies stadium.

Speculation had grown that it could have been because of plans for the ground, which has been a contentious issue locally.

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But James Rose, director of Rose Tree Care which carried out the work, says this is not the case.

He said: “It’s being done purely for safety reasons.

“There’s nothing going on there.

“In 2014 a bit fell off so the landowner has taken our safety advice.

“They had been cut but they’ve re-grown so they needed pollarding again.”

The Poppies left Rockingham Road for Nene Park in Irthlingborough in 2011 and now play at Latimer Park in Burton Latimer.

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They had made a bid to list the ground as an asset of community value but it was rejected due to a lack of evidence of community support.

Kettering Council said they could not overturn the decision, despite a petition attracting more than 1,000 signatures.

To sign the petition, click here.

Related topics:TreesPoppiesWork