RESIDENTS and ward councillor Pete Graham have expressed their outrage over the cutting back and cutting down of indigenous trees along Ryde Place. According to Graham, the bush alongside Ryde Place (from Pemba Lane to the intersection at Malacca Road) was cut back ten metres from the roadway.

Graham said he was confounded by the cutting back as there was never a request made to cut back the bush on one side of Ryde Place.

“I requested work be done on the opposite side of Ryde Place where the Redhill Cemetery wall is. There is supposed to be a three metre buffer zone between the wall and the forest on the inside of the wall. However, there was never a request for cutting back on the opposite side. I’m extremely angry and frustrated as I’ve had no feedback from the City as to who approved this and why it was given the go-ahead. So many residents phoned and voice their shock and anger over the cutting back,” he said.

Read also: Port of Durban cruises to prime position

Graham said he had ten requests for the cutting back and clearing of bush in his ward but none of them were attended to.

He added of particular worry for him was the intersection of Malacca Road and Ryde Place.

“For years Ryde Place along the cemetery wall has been a dumping spot and especially where the Malacca Road Informal Settlement begins as some of the residents have stopped people from going to the dump to dispose of their waste. We’ve also had people refusing to pay a fee to use the dump and instead dump them on the verge. Now that a large swathe of bush has been cleared at the intersection, this will encourage more people to dump,” he said.

For more from Northglen News follow us on Facebook or Twitter. You can also follow us on Instagram