A PLAN to plant 1,000 trees in Witham town centre has been scrapped over ‘financial and logistically’ concerns.

Witham Town Council had been considering the proposals to plant the trees over the course of the next four years.

According to the agenda for Monday's environment committee meeting the town council gives the Witham Tree Group £1,000 per year for their planting programme.

It says: "They currently plant about 25 trees a year and usually spend approximately £100 per tree for a substantial tree which has a greater chance of survival.

"On this basis, if 250 trees were to be planted each year over the next 4 years, the cost would be £25,000 per year."

The agenda also shows the council is unsure where the trees could be planted.

It says: "Town Council owned land may not be suitable for planting further trees.

"The River Walk cannot take any further trees otherwise it will become a wooded area rather than an open spaced River Walk.

"James Cooke Wood does not need any further trees.

"Whetmead may not be able support tree planting due to poor quality of the land and also with the potential A12 widening which may affect the area, this does not appear to currently be a suitable location."