Colston's School again

Today we see that the application is recommended for approval, including the removal of the tree. Yes, they now intend to replace it, but it's taken a real effort to get even this far. Come and lobby the council next week.

The Poplars at the back of the school are also proposed for the axe - which has certainly upset the neighbours. Here's a letter to the Head from a resident of St Andrews Road:

"Dear Mrs Jones,

You have submitted a planning application to enlarge the

school grounds. That in itself is a laudable enterprise, in

that no doubt it will enhance facilities for your students

and lead to better and more congenial learning environment.

However, part of your plans are to cut down the row of nine

black poplar trees that have been growing for decades along

the eastern boundary of your school grounds. That is neither

laudable, nor 'green'(the web site states you are 'Going

Green'), nor necessary.

Your school web site advertises that you 'specialise in

languages'. Perhaps your German department and the students

studying that language and culture might care to read and

discuss the following poem by Bertolt Brecht (I898-I956),

written in 1950 on the occasion of a poplar tree found still

standing after most other trees in war-torn and ruined

Berlin had been hacked down for fire wood during the

freezing winter of 1946/7:

Die Pappel vom Karlsplatz - Das freundliche Grün

Eine Pappel steht am Karlsplatz

Mitten in der Trümmerstadt Berlin

Und wenn Leute gehn übern Karlsplatz

Sehen sie ihr freundlich Grün.

In dem Winter sechsundvierzig

Fror'n die Menschen, und das Holz war rar

Und es fielen da viele Bäume

Und es wurd ihr letztes Jahr.

Doch die Pappel dort am Karlsplatz

Zeigt uns heute noch ihr grünes Blatt:

Seid bedankt, Anwohner vom Karlsplatz

Daß man sie noch immer hat!

And for the benefit of those not knowledgable of German a

rather loose translation:

A poplar stands on Charles Square

In the middle of ruinous Berlin

And when people go across Charles Square

They see her friendly green.

In the winter of forty-six

The people froze, and the wood was rare

And many trees were felled

And it was her last year.

But the poplar there on Charles Square

Still today shows us her leafy green:

Thank you, residents of Charles Square

That we still have her with us.

I hope you will pass this on to your relevant teaching

staff and I would welcome your feedback concerning the

outcome of this educational piece of unfortunately rather

topical literary analysis. I would be especially interested

in what reactions your students had to the proposed plans to

remove 'their' poplars.

Yours sincerely..."