York defends green credentials after plan to replace trees is met with protest

York has launched a vigorous defence of its green credentials after schoolchildren joined a protest against the course's plans to chop down a row of trees.

Pupils from a nearby primary school and York Central MP Rachael Maskell were among those at a rally staged earlier this month, aimed at saving 18 Lombardy poplar trees sited on the edge of a car park belonging to the course.

York has applied for permission to remove the poplars and replace them with beech trees but local resident Orna O'Toole told the York Press: "We should be keeping trees not cutting them down", and community campaigner Louise Ennis added: "The racecourse should be looking after them for the benefit of the community as they make a huge contribution to the character of the area."