A seaside resort's signature palm trees have been branded a potential hazard by the local council.But the authority today denied it was "going health and safety mad" and spoke of plans to plant more. The palm trees appear in a poster promoting the English Riviera resorts of Torquay, Paignton and Brixham. But the exotic species needed to be "carefully and appropriately used", said Torbay Council senior urban design and landscape officer Paul Osborne.
"They can cause maintenance problems as they have very sharp leaves."
He said the palms needed to be "carefully used" in streetscapes where they could cause injury to eyes or faces.
Mr Osborne was responding to the chairman of Torquay Chamber of Trade, Robert Excell, who wanted to know if palms would be retained in an upgrade of Torbay's harbour and surrounding gardens. Mr Excell believed the resort's roads should be lined with palms to attract holidaymakers to the area.
A Torbay Council spokesman today denied the unitary authority was going "health and safety mad".
A spokesman said: "About a dozen palms were planted last year, and we are looking to plant 20 more in a prominent position on the seafront in an appropriate area. The palm is a symbol of Torbay and we want them to be everywhere as much as we can. But you cannot get away from the fact that in some areas they are not suitable. It is something we have got to be careful about when we carry out any planting," he added.
2 comments:
are they nuts????
No , dates
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