Naples – Protests are growing in the Arenella neighborhood, where two majestic pine trees on Via Francesco Netti, at the intersection with Via Michelangelo Naccherino, are at risk of being cut down. Legambiente Campania, along with numerous associations and citizens' committees, has launched an urgent appeal to the City of Naples's Parks and Gardens Councilor to immediately suspend the municipal permit for the removal of one of the two trees tomorrow, December 5th.
According to Legambiente, LIPU Napoli, FIAB, WWF Napoli, the Committee of Residents of Via Naccherino and Via Netti, and the Civic Committee of Lovers of Partenope, the two pine trees—already exposed to environmental stress and construction work over the years—are in critical but not irreparable condition.
One of the two has already received a felling order signed by the municipality; the other, the associations argue, risks the same fate if the companion tree with which it has shared decades of growth were to disappear.
Environmental organizations also report that, despite their willingness to fund an independent assessment to evaluate alternatives to demolition, access to the area was suddenly denied by the owners, after a previous opening granted in September and also confirmed to Councilor Santagada.
The request for suspension and the last-minute summons
In November, the associations formally submitted a request to the Municipality to suspend the felling permit, attaching a supporting technical report.
The administration's response arrived only in the last few hours: the councillor for green areas, Vincenzo Santagada, called a meeting for 4 December at 16pm with the director of the sector, Dr. Bastia, and representatives of the organisations.
This step, however, hasn't stopped the owners' initiative: this morning, the committees report, a notice appeared prohibiting parking on Via Netti on December 5th, the date set for the pine tree's felling.
Legambiente: "A clear gesture from the City Council is needed."
"The meeting with Councilor Santagada is crucial to avoiding a demolition that we believe is hasty and inadequately justified," says Anna Savarese, a member of the Legambiente Campania board.
"We are asking the Department of Parks and Gardens to authoritatively suspend the permit immediately and allow for the appropriate technical checks to be carried out, protecting both public and private interests."
Savarese also points out that the green light for the felling was granted without real citizen involvement and in the absence of a public and private green regulation. This regulation, as is the case in many other cities, would protect valuable trees, establish clear criteria for permits, and define the ecological and economic compensations to be adopted.
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