A THOUSAND trees will be felled in Highgate Cemetery if a �300,000 scheme goes ahead. The landscape management plan sets out proposals to cull most of the ash saplings which dominate the western part of the cemetery and to rid the grounds of ivy. A first

A THOUSAND trees will be felled in Highgate Cemetery if a �300,000 scheme goes ahead.

The landscape management plan sets out proposals to cull most of the ash saplings which dominate the western part of the cemetery and to rid the grounds of ivy.

A first management plan for the cemetery, which is the resting place of communist founder Karl Marx, was written in 1976 but the grounds have since fallen into a state of disrepair in some areas.

Friends of Highgate Cem-etery spokesman John Oakes said: "The report was commissioned by the cemetery's trustees, in recognition of the fact that self-sown ash trees have colonised large areas, creating a particular problem which has to be addressed alongside the cemetery's routine landscape management carried out by our permanent staff."

The report recommends taking on more staff - at least one of whom who is qualified in conservation - to take on the project, as well as buying a wood chipper to deal with brush wood.

A public consultation meeting about the plans will be held at the Holly Lodge Estate Community Centre in Make-peace Avenue on Wednesday from 7-9pm.