Powys town will see 42 trees on its high street before 2025

Throughout February 2024, workers have been busy planting new street trees along Machynlleth’s High Street, carried out by the Welsh Government and North and Mid Wales Trunk Road Agency.

In March 2023, work to remove a number of trees in the town centre that were deemed unsafe began, with the intent to plant new trees along Heol Maengwyn, Penrallt Street and Pentrehedyn Street.

There is a legal duty under the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 to replace any felled trees in a conservation area, but the scheme intends to go further than that, with the aim of adding 12 more trees, meaning that by the end of 2024 there should be a total of 42 trees on Machynlleth High Street.

The new trees will also be planted in specially engineered tree pits that can provide protection to tree roots as well as irrigating and ventilating the roots to support the healthy growth of the trees.

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The council added that the engineered tree pits will help support the continued health of the trees throughout their lives and enable future managers to look after them properly.

A spokesperson for Powys County Council commented on the scheme, saying: “Losing trees can be emotive and might feel difficult. We are aware of the multiple sources of value of the Machynlleth street trees as well as our duty and obligation to replace them.

“We are also aware of the climate and nature emergency and the value trees can play in remediating the problems faced through the extensive range of values they endow. We are also aware that when the trees were originally planted the technology was limited and problems have arisen as their roots have grown and expanded within the changing urban environment.

“A funding opportunity has been made available to enable us to grow back the trees in Machynlleth whilst this time harnessing the sophisticated underground growing systems that protect and nourish roots within a contained and safe environment.

“We want to provide the town with trees for the long-term future, trees that will provide the future generations of Machynlleth with a history that can be filled with the stories of their trees.”