13 Feb 2020, 11:11

Tatton MP Esther McVey has been sacked as housing minister her successor will be the tenth person to have held the post in as many years.

McVey said: I wish my successor the very best and every success.

The Liverpool-born former work and pensions secretary returned to parliament when she took George Osbornes old seat in 2017, having lost her Wirral West seat in 2015.

Her replacement is MP for Tamworth, Christopher Pincher, who has worked as minister for Europe and Amercias and is a former deputy chief whip.

Other business and property-related ministers sacked in Boris Johnsons reshuffle on Thursday include:

Chancellor of the Exchequer Sajid Javid has resigned as part of the reshuffle. It is reported that he was offered to keep his role if he fired his advisers, to which he refused and subsequently resigned. The new chancellor faces a budget in four weeks.

Melanie Leech, chief executive, British Property Federation, said:Itll come as a shock to many to lose Sajid Javid as Chancellor of the Exchequer with only four weeks to go to this years Budget but Rishi Sunak was already a senior member of the Treasury team and we stand ready to work with him to ensure fiscal policy drives forward much-needed investment across the UK.

We also welcome Alok Sharma as the new Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, and Christopher Pincher as the new Minister of State for Housing. A new government with a strong mandate is a big opportunity to ensure stability in key roles including housing, something which has been missing in recent years and has got in the way of delivery.

Paresh Raja, CEO of national bridging loan provider Market Financial Solutions, said: A new parliament, a new housing minister. One has to think whether this cabinet position holds any real relevance anymore it has become something of a merry-go-round, with Esther McVeys successor becoming the tenth person to hold this position in as many years.

Given the challenges facing the UK property market, the lack of consistent leadership from the Government in this space is extremely frustrating. We will never be in a position to properly address issues like the housing crisis, not to mention the obstacles preventing people from jumping on and moving up the property ladder, until Westminster gives the position of housing minister more respect and consideration.

One can only hope that with a majority government now in place, this will be the last cabinet reshuffle we see for some time. But I for one believe too many MPs see the position as little more than stepping-stone.

Flicie Krikler, director at London-based Assael Architecture, said: There is a total incompatibility between the political cycles and the long-term aspects of housing. Appointing the tenth housing minister in the last 10 years makes a complete mockery of the role. The industry needs stability to make progress on the housing front and bring forward policies that clarify questions over design, quality and delivery methods concerning the homes we build.

Understanding and addressing the issues troubling the market takes time and effort, and while another minister gets to grips with the role, we have high streets in need of reform and high-quality homes in need of building. I hope whoever steps in to fill McVeys place will be able to quickly adapt and contribute to the UKs housing needs.

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McVey replaced as housing minister - Place North West

349 Stevens Ave., Portland $494,900

Prices on multi-units prove Portland values are operating in a different tier than other Maine cities. This week, during a low inventory season, 2-units were the only multi-families under $500,000. Theres cheaper, but this Deering Center home gets a price boost for having 2- and 3- bedroom apartments and a fenced in yard. Click here to see the full listing.

5 Glenwood St., Augusta $125,000

Located near the Kennebec River Trail and within walking distance to Water St. businesses, this homes units are both 2-bedrooms. One of the current tenants has lived there for over 10 years. It has an expansive back yard and deck as well as a newly installed Pensotti furnace and roof and window updates. Click here to see the full listing.

119 S. Maine St., Auburn $165,000

The units in this 1920 home are both 3-bedrooms with fresh paint, recently refinished hardwood, and newer laminate flooring and carpet. The first-floor apartment just got a countertop and cabinet replacement and has 1 full and 1 half bath. Bonus: 2-car garage and an attic for storage. Situated in the quiet New Auburn neighborhood. Click here to see the full listing.

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For Your Money: Simple Income from 2-Units in Urban Areas - Press Herald

MORE than 1000 CalMac ferry sailings were cancelled last year because of mechanical problems with the boats, a 37 per cent annual rise, it has emerged.

The Scottish Greens, who obtained the figures, urged Transport Secretary Michael Matheson to order an urgent review of the state of the CalMac fleet.

Sourced through freedom of information, the data showed the vast majority of CalMac cancellations are due to bad weather .

But in 2018, mechanical breakdowns on board accounted for 780 of the 5,383 cancelled sailings.

In 2019, such problems accounted for 1,069 of 5,653 cancelled sailings.

However, less than 1 per cent of sailings were cancelled because of mechanical issues.

Green Highlands and Islands MSP John Finnie said the Scottish Government needed to review its vessel deployment and replacement plan.

He said: CalMac is entrusted to deliver lifeline services to remote and island communities up and down the west coast, so it is particularly concerning that the number of cancellations as a result of technical breakdowns has greatly increased in the last year.

Behind these cancellations are people unable to attend hospital appointments on the mainland, missed job interviews, small businesses unable to send and receive goods, and a loss of important tourism revenue.

We know that the bulk of the fleet needs renewed.

The average age of the CalMac fleet is 23 years, and the Scottish Governments own ferry plan for 2013 2022 highlighted that the majority of the vessels needed to be replaced.

This hasnt happened and were left with the situation where we have an ageing fleet which requires longer periods of maintenance and repair.

The Cabinet Secretary for Transport must urgently review the vessels deployment and replacement plan, ensuring community representatives and trade unions are at the heart of the procurement process, in order to deliver a fleet that communities served by the Clyde and Hebrides services deserve.

CalMac Director of Operations, Robert Morrison said 1069 sailings cancelled for technical reasons out of 168,000 last year meant a reliability rate of 99.35%, which compared very well to other forms of transport.

He said: To increase fleet resilience further we are investing more than 21m during this years dry dock maintenance programme, which includes a record 9m investment on vessel upgrades.

More than 90 major projects will be carried including new engines, replacement pitch control systems, new bow thrusters, replacement ramps and new generators on various vessels.

We have also introduced a new team to carry out in-service preventative maintenance to help avoid technical issues arising.

We are doing all we can to maintain a fully operational fleet while awaiting new vessels.

A Government spokesperson said: Transport Scotland is working with CalMac and [parent firm] CMAL to develop investment programmes for major vessels and small vessels with the aim of increased standardisation, taking account of the many and varied routes which CalMac serves.

The latest Vessel Replacement and Deployment Plan is in final drafting and the intention is to publish this Spring.

While reliability currently stands at around 99.35%, we look forward to working with all interested parties to continue to deliver improvements, building on the substantial investment in routes, services, vessels, harbours and fares which have been made in these services in recent years and which have led to significant improvements in connectivity, capacity, affordability and passenger numbers.

The successor to the Ferries Plan 2013-2022 is being developed following the recent publication of the National Transport Strategy and the National Islands Plan and in conjunction with the Strategic Transport Projects Review which will also consider all potential viable future options in connecting our islands.

The Scottish Government continues to work with CalMac, communities and business interest to ensure lifeline ferry connections are maintained and enhanced.

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Breakdowns of CalMac ferries up by a third last year - HeraldScotland

If a tree falls in the forest, and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?

I have no idea. I leave that question to the philosophers and physicists. But I do know that if a tree in your yard falls on your house while you're in it, you darn well will hear it. And the sound will make your heart jump out of your chest like the creature in Alien, and your emergency savings fund will disappear faster than a puff of pollen.

That scenario was precisely the one I chose to avoid when I had the old water oak tree removed from my yard this week. Though I was sad to see her go, I decided it was better she leave on my terms than on hers.

The old oak was nearing the end of her years, two arborists told me. Hurricanes had damaged her once regal crown. Now, where branches had once been, open cavities the size of wastebaskets pocked the trunk, opening doors for decay.

"We won't know till we get up there how bad it is, but I can tell you she's compromised," said Alec Lantagne, a certified arborist and partner at The Sunbelt Tree Service, which serves Central Florida.

He pointed to a section of root that was beginning to lift. "This indicates instability."

I look up into the canopy of the 50-foot tree, a big part of the landscape around here, and feel sad.

I turn tables and ask, "If this tree were in your yard, would you cut it down?"

He thinks a minute. "I wouldn't have a water oak near my house," he said.

I don't just take his word for it. I do some research. Unlike live oaks, those sturdy majestic soldiers that can live for hundreds of years, water oaks only live 50 to 60 years. Like a bad marriage, when they fail, they can take a house with them. "Water oaks, sometimes called laurel oaks are fast-growing, short-lived trees that don't do well in hurricanes," read one report. Great. "Laurel oaks are not very good at containing decay, so it spreads throughout the tree," said another. Fantastic.

You only have to live through one hurricane and see the aftermath of trees on their sides, lying on fences, cars and roofs, to realize you don't get to pick which way a tree falls or when.

"I didn't become an arborist because I don't love trees," Lantagne said, sensing my resistance. "Trees are important for the environment. They provide shade and beauty and homes for wildlife, but sometimes they need to come down. This is one of those times."

If she didn't topple over, she was on the verge of dropping large sections, he said, and with wood that weighs 80-pounds a square foot, that's not a blow you want to take.

Here's what else I learned about tree removal:

Ask before you cut. Find out the rules in your town, and check with your homeowner's association before you remove a tree. Many cities require you to get a permit first. If the tree is dead or diseased, you shouldn't have any trouble getting permission.

Assess your risk. Disease and instability are the most common reasons homeowners have trees removed. Arborists can help tree owners determine their liability by noting the tree species, the extent of its root system, its age and health. They look for signs of beetle infestation, cavities, fungus, trunk discoloration, or other signs of compromise. "Companies with certified arborists are less likely to take down a tree that doesn't need to come down," Lantagne said. "Sometimes you just need to prune the tree, so it doesn't act like a sail in the wind."

Hire bona fide pros. Taking down a large tree properly and safely is not a job for an amateur lumberjack. It involves math and physics, Lantagne said. When hiring a tree service, look for one that has a certified arborist. Make sure the company carries liability insurance for tree work and workers comp. Lantagne showed me certificates for both without hesitation. Be sure the company is based locally, has good referrals, a legitimate office, and a person easy to reach by phone, not just a P.O. Box and a truck. "A lot can go wrong," Lantagne said. "You want to be sure you're working with a reputable company."

Know the plan. The day before our tree came down, Lantagne came by to figure out where to park his chipper so it wouldn't interfere with traffic, and how to remove sections of the fence for better access. The next day, his crew set up a pulley-rope system and began taking the old oak down gracefully, lowering branches to the ground carefully, almost ceremoniously.

Remove and replace. Some cities require homeowners to replant a tree if they remove one. Even if it's not required, it's nice to do. Soon, three crepe myrtles will stand where the old water oak once was, providing shade and a home for birds and squirrels minus the threat.

Syndicated columnist Marni Jameson is the author of five home and lifestyle books, including Downsizing the Blended Home When Two Households Become One (Sterling Publishing, Dec. 2019).

HomeStyle on 02/15/2020

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Old water oak proves pre-emptive tree removal is sometimes best - NWAOnline

A new but familiar tree battle is brewing along Berry Road.

Oklahoma Electric Cooperative this weekend intends to start the long-planned removal of 17 trees along the road as part of its vegetation management program to protect power lines.

A group of residents, led by councilman Joe Carter, may ask a judge to delay the work. Carter said late Thursday afternoon his attorney planned to file the paperwork with the court today.

This was the same issue in 2017 that spurred creation of the city's tree ordinance.

City Manager Darrel Pyle said the city and OEC have negotiated for months on the project and the power company is within its rights to do the work.

Pyle wrote in an email to council members Tuesday night that although the tree ordinance passed in 2017 was designed to protect street trees such as those on Berry Road, "apparently there are loopholes in the ordinance which allow OEC to move forward with their removal plans."

Carter, in his role as councilman, wants the courts to delay the project to give the city council time to close those loopholes. Council members discussed the issue at a Feb. 4 study session and the tree ordinance has been added to the city's March Oversight Committee agenda, Carter said.

"There is widespread interest in the council to revisit this ordinance, and that could take months," he said. "OEC can trim the branches just as they have for 30 years."

Carter contends OEC wants to take down the trees because it will be cheaper than trimming every couple of years.

Autumn McMahon, OEC spokeswoman, said the company plans to remove rather than trim certain trees at the request of homeowners. The company pays for the tree removal. The Feb. 4 council study session presentation shows 11 homeowners requested removing 17 trees on Berry Road.

The presentation also shows that the city granted permission where trees were not healthy because of excessive topping, decay, dropping or no branches, and massive seed production. Five of the trees slated for removal were not deemed unhealthy and the tree ordinance requires a $5,715 administrative fine be paid. OEC would pay that fee and the money would go toward planting the new trees, McMahon said.

McMahon said the company's vegetation management program not only helps power flow, but also increases safety for members and residents. She said there must be 10 feet of clearance between power lines and the nearest branch, requiring tree trimming every one to four years on average.

The Berry Road trees are sweet gums and grow extremely tall, said Tim Vermillion, city forester.

"This is a painful situation that happens all over the county," he said of the tree versus power line issue. A lot of times the issue comes down to not having the right tree in the right place, he said.

The Berry Road trees were planted in the 1960s by the Lion's Club in an "effort to beautify Norman and add to Norman's sparse landscape," Pyle wrote in his email to the council. "The Berry Road tree canopy is very sentimental to many Normanites."

Carter described the tree canopy as creating a tunnel effect on the road.

Vermillion said he has identified eight tree species that work well under power lines that could replace the sweet gums: Oklahoma redbud, city sprite zelkova, trident maple, Persian parrotia, wireless zelkova, emerald sunshine elm, amur maple and prairifire crabapple. He said the proposed trees would not create the same canopy, but would not need to be trimmed as often.

McMahon said OEC's goal is to make sure homeowners receive a healthy tree that does not pose safety hazards or require repeated trimming.

"We want to make sure we are going above and beyond," she said. "We are working with the city to replant trees that grow the right way."

If court papers are filed and a judge issues an injunction to delay the work, OEC will likely trim the trees, McMahon said. Work was delayed for months during negotiations with the city and now many limbs are close to the power lines, she said.

"Since we continue to delay it gets more dangerous," she said, adding that it is important for work to be done before storm season hits.

Vermillion said "giving them a haircut will alleviate the problem" but isn't a longterm solution. He said some of the trees in question had decay from being topped and others are next to telephone poles creating an unsafe situation.

"I've looked at this project not just at how they are now, but how they will be in the spring and into the future," he said.

Burying the power lines if often suggested as a solution, but it has a costly price tag, Pyle said. It costs an estimated $750,000 to $1 million per mile to bury power lines, he said.

Mayor Breea Clark said she is not sure there is anything that can be done for this Berry Road project, but favors looking at the tree ordinance again and cleaning up any unclear language.

"I admire their passionate feelings on this topic," she said of council members and residents.

Vermillion said he has already suggested a few changes that could be made to the ordinance, such as increasing the fine for removing a healthy tree and adjusting the name to better fit what the ordinance is -- a street tree ordinance.

Christie Swanson366-3543cswanson@normantranscript.com

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Residents want to stop tree removal - Norman Transcript

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (WVIR) Someone is disrupting years of research and delaying costly time for several projects at the University of Virginia. The question of who is responsible remains a mystery leaving students and faculty with plenty of questions.

The person has been removing pink flags on trees that mark the plots for student research.

Hopefully its a well wishing person thinking they dont like clutter in the forest or maybe somebody that thinks its some kind of project to cut trees down and they want to stop it. We dont know, UVA Environmental Science Professor Hank Shugart said.

The pink flags are there to indicate research plots for a couple of projects.

"Trying to understand runoff and what runoff does to the vegetation. So, we're doing labs and also using sorts of focused research on how water processes and land processes work," Shugart says.

The university is also keeping track of carbon

Were keeping track of tree growth and how much carbon is being stored by O-Hill, which has to do with global change, Shugart says.

Students are also left guessing where to put flags again to continue their research.

We kind of cobbled together where our old plots were with our memories of, 'oh yeah, that tree was in this plot, I think,' UVA PHD Student Elise Heffernan said.

The research could lead to more than a million dollars for the university.

Right now, theres a market for carbon and O-Hill in 70 years could probably store away somewhere between $800,000 to $1.5 million worth of carbon, Shugart said.

That money would come from simply growing trees and then selling the stored carbon that results from not cutting the trees down.

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Years of UVA research is being hindered by the removal of pink flags on trees - WHSV

GRAVETTE, Ark. (KNWA) A growing problem at Bethel Cemetery, as trees on the property are damaging headstones. Now, dozens of trees on the landwill have to be removed.

Benton County Preservation Group President Nancy Feroe said getting rid of the trees is the only way to maintain the cemetery and protect the headstones .

They look beautiful in the spring especially when they have the white flowers but thats only for a short while, said Feroe.

This row of trees, planted more than two decades ago. Bringing life to a burial place that was established over 200 years ago but the trees are also bringing a growing problem.

As theyre getting older because theyve been there for over 25 years their limbs are falling off, breaking off and hitting head stones. Some have actually damaged some stones. They cost problems for the Bethel Cemetery Association to have to take care of.

Just last month, the association removed a large pine tree. Feroe said it was near a historic arch on the property. With so much weight with the pines, it wouldnt take much of a storm to push that over and not only destroy the arch but probably a lot of stones with it.

The preservation group assess cemeteries around Benton county to make sure they stay in good shape. Theyre also working with the association to replat the entire cemetery. Making a map of the burial location, the physical burial locations of each individuals that is buried in the cemetery and where that graves are located.

The tree removal could cost about $8000.

They look great, Im a tree lover too but sometimes there are better places for them, said Feroe.

The preservation group and the association are hoping to work with a landscaper totransfer the trees to a better location.

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Dozens of trees to be cleared out of Bethel cemetery - KNWA

Update 2 p.m.

OEC plans to replace trees being removed along Berry Road with ones that are better suited to be under power lines, said Autumn McMahon, Oklahoma Electric Cooperative spokeswoman.

The current tree canopy includes sweet gum trees that grow very tall and can create safety and power reliability issues around power lines, McMahon said.

"Each of these trees is being removed by the request of the resident," she said, adding the power company wants to "plant the right tree in the right place.

"This will give homeowners a healthy tree that is not a risk and a tree that does not have to be repeatedly trimmed."

OEC will remove the trees and branches at no cost to the homeowner and is working with the city forester to determine the best tree fit.

The city and OEC have been working together on finding a solution to the Berry Road tree issue which has delayed the project, McMahon said. The work needs to be completed soon for safety reasons, she said.

A group of residents is asking a a judge to temporarily stop Oklahoma Electric Cooperative from taking down trees along Berry Road.

The electric company plans to start removing 11 trees along the street this weekend.

Norman councilman Joe Carter is leading the charge as a neighborhood resident.

"They can trim the trees as they have always done. We think that is a reasonable request," Carter said.

Carter said the council wants to revisit the tree ordinance that the city established after OEC removed 16 trees along Berry Road in 2017. The council discussedtreesduring a recent study session, but Carter said it will take months to finish the process of updatingthe ordinance.

City Manager Darrel Pyle sent an email to council members Tuesday night explainingthe electric company's tree removal plans and stating there are loopholes in the 2017 ordinance that allows the company to move forward with the tree removal.

Pyle told the Transcript state law allows utility companies easements to protect infrastructure. He said there is nothing the city can do to stop the work.

Carter said that is why he and other residents hired attorney Doug Wall to ask a judge to temporarily halt the work.

Calls to Wall and to OEC were not immediately returned this morning.

Link:
Residents trying to stop Berry Road tree removal - Norman Transcript

City Council has extended a moratorium on removing trees from private property for another year.

The council voted Monday, 7-2, to extend the moratorium to Dec. 20, with councilors Denise Simmons and Tim Toomey voting against. The council adopted the ban through a temporary amendment to the citys Tree Protection Ordinance last February, and it was originally scheduled to expire March 11. The council is currently waiting to receive recommendations from the Urban Forest Master Plan Task Force on lasting changes the group would like to make to the Tree Protection Ordinance, according to the council's policy order sponsored by Councilor Quinton Zondervan. The recommendations were originally scheduled to be released in June but were delayed, and the extension prevented the moratorium from expiring before the council could consider new language to the ordinance.

According to the order, allowing the moratorium to expire before the new language could be added would have resulted in a massive citywide cutting spree, worsening our canopy decline and erasing any positive impact the temporary amendments might have had.

Along with passing the extension to the moratorium, the council also expressed its intent to pass comprehensive amendments to the Tree Protection Ordinance based on the recommendations from the Urban Forest Master Plan Task Force ahead of the December deadline.

Zondervan said it's unclear at this point what kind of permanent changes will be made to the Tree Protection Ordinance, but one of the ideas is requiring property owners to come up with a replacement plan if trees need to be cut down.

"So, if a property owner said, 'I need to cut down this tree, but I'm going to plant three more over here,' that somehow that would be part of the law and would be allowed," said Zondervan. "That's how we deal with large projects; we require them to have a replacement plan. That's one example of the kind of thing we need to be considering."

The ban prevents residents from receiving permits to remove trees from their property. The city can issue fines of up to $300 per violation and $300 for each day the violation exists. Violators would also be responsible for the cost of replacing the tree at approximately $800 to $900 dollars per DBH [Diameter at Breast Height] inch. Homeowners with a residential exemption will pay only 10 percent or people on financial assistance will pay nothing when it comes to violations.

Trees removed for city park projects that provide significant negative impacts to existing adjacent structures and dead or dangerous trees are exempt from the moratorium, as well as trees that could be removed for the benefit of the overall tree canopy on properties densely populated by existing trees.

Heather Hoffman of Hurley Street, said she has spoken many times regarding her admiration of trees and said she was supportive of everything on the agenda Monday night that would give the city more trees.

The city of Cambridge should have a default setting of 'keep the tree,' Hoffman said. We dont, [and] we need to get there.

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Cambridge extends ban on tree removal for another year - Wicked Local Cambridge

Update 2 p.m.

OEC plans to replace trees being removed along Berry Road with ones that are better suited to be under power lines, said Autumn McMahon, Oklahoma Electric Cooperative spokeswoman.

The current tree canopy includes sweet gum trees that grow very tall and can create safety and power reliability issues around power lines, McMahon said.

"Each of these trees is being removed by the request of the resident," she said, adding the power company wants to "plant the right tree in the right place.

"This will give homeowners a healthy tree that is not a risk and a tree that does not have to be repeatedly trimmed."

OEC will remove the trees and branches at no cost to the homeowner and is working with the city forester to determine the best tree fit.

The city and OEC have been working together on finding a solution to the Berry Road tree issue which has delayed the project, McMahon said. The work needs to be completed soon for safety reasons, she said.

A group of residents is asking a a judge to temporarily stop Oklahoma Electric Cooperative from taking down trees along Berry Road.

The electric company plans to start removing 11 trees along the street this weekend.

Norman councilman Joe Carter is leading the charge as a neighborhood resident.

"They can trim the trees as they have always done. We think that is a reasonable request," Carter said.

Carter said the council wants to revisit the tree ordinance that the city established after OEC removed 16 trees along Berry Road in 2017. The council discussedtreesduring a recent study session, but Carter said it will take months to finish the process of updatingthe ordinance.

City Manager Darrel Pyle sent an email to council members Tuesday night explainingthe electric company's tree removal plans and stating there are loopholes in the 2017 ordinance that allows the company to move forward with the tree removal.

Pyle told the Transcript state law allows utility companies easements to protect infrastructure. He said there is nothing the city can do to stop the work.

Carter said that is why he and other residents hired attorney Doug Wall to ask a judge to temporarily halt the work.

Calls to Wall and to OEC were not immediately returned this morning.

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UPDATE: OEC plans to replace removed trees; residents trying to stop Berry Road tree removal - Norman Transcript