Lancaster Market Square. Photo: John Freeman

A determined campaign by local people opposed to the removal of Lancaster Market Square’s trees has been a success. A Full City Council meeting threw out a much-derided proposal to remove the limes, rejecting claims they should be cut down on health and safety grounds, and because they were blocking sunlight into city centre shops.

The Council has announced the trees themselves will remain, and will instead begin trials of different cleansing methods and products, along with research into best practice, after many alternatives to chopping down the limes – which have been in place for 40 years.

Hundreds of local residents signed both online and physical petitions protesting at the proposal, the latter triggering a full Council debate on Wednesday 3rd February.