Towpath trees in Barnes have been victims of "a short-term holocaust", according to residents.
As part of what the Port of London Authority (PLA) calls riverbank improvement work, it cut down every other tree growing from the stone revetment wall along a 400m section of the Barnes
towpath.
The tree felling stretched from St Paul's School to near the Swedish School and is designed to protect the wall and reduce the risk of
flooding.
Residents and worried group members voiced concerns at a recent meeting that the PLA failed
to properly consult with them before carrying out the work.
Speaking for the towpath group, Angela Dixon said: "You (the PLA) looked at your problem, but we
would question whether you needed to deal with it with the nuclear option.
"You left yourself in the end to make the final decision, please can we go back to partnership?"
Chief executive of the PLA Richard Everitt promised to listen to community views and suggestions once surveys of the area
were completed.
He claimed there would be at least two more public meetings with the first being shortly after
the summer holidays.
Mr Everitt also assured listeners at a packed London Rowing Club that there would be some compensation tree planting to re-establish the lost leafy views along the river.
Not everyone criticised the PLA's work - many rowers were glad to be free from overhanging branches and the "ill-controlled jungle"" that, it was claimed, needed maintenance.
The PLA intends to work with Richmond Council in formulating a long-term management plan and when the next stage of tree cutting begins it will be targeting a fivemile section of riverside from Putney to Kew.
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