A TREE in an award-winning Newport park which is thought to be 60 years old will be felled next week because of storm damage.

Newport council says it has made the Blue Atlas Cedar tree in Belle Vue Park safe but the extent of the damage to the crown means the tree will have to be felled next week.

The park has other examples of this species, including those on either side of the terrace which date from park designer Thomas Mawson’s original planting in 1894, and a replacement Blue Atlas Cedar will be planted during this winter.

Councillor Debbie Wilcox, cabinet member for leisure and culture, said: “It is sad that such a lovely tree has to be removed but it is clear that the damage is so severe the tree will not recover.

“This is a mature tree – believed to be at least 60 years old – but its replacement should give pleasure and shade for generations to come.”

Cedrus atlandica Glauca – the botanical name of the blue Atlas cedar – is native to the Atlas Mountains in Algeria and Morocco.

The tree is scheduled to be felled on, or shortly after, Wednesday August 21.