Calls have been made for Dundee’s traditional Christmas tree to return to City Square after the controversial “living” tree died just nine months after it was planted.
The Christmas tree was first moved from its traditional City Square spot to outside the Steeple Church in the Nethergate in 2021.
After its first year at the new location, it was made more permanent by the planting of the living tree last October.
This, Dundee City Council said, was an effort to host more “sustainable” festive celebrations.
However just nine months after it was planted, the “living” tree had withered and died.
Now a Liberal Democrat councillor is pushing to get the tree back to its original location.
Strathmartine councillor Daniel Coleman said: “This was really something of a pale imitation of the traditional Christmas tree and not well-received by many of the Dundee public.
“It sort of sums it up that the so-called “living tree” died just nine months after it was installed.”
Living tree death blamed on ‘hot weather’
The council blamed hot weather for the death of the tree earlier this month and said plans were being made to replace it.
However Mr Coleman believes the tree should be moved back to the City Square in a way that does not jeopardies the councils sustainability effort.
He added: “We feel sure that with a bit of effort, the council could do this in a sustainable way.”
But council leader John Alexander, insisted further funding for projects and festive celebrations would come at a cost of cutting budgets from other services.
Mr Alexander has been critical of the Liberal Democrats “suggestions” believing that they offer “little to no explanation of how they’d deliver and fund them.”
Mr Alexander said: “The reality, of course, is that they can’t possibly fund everything they’ve touted in the press in recent months without sweeping cuts to other areas of service and they should be held to account for their claims.
“I would love to see increased investment in events, from the flower and food festival to Christmas and everything else in between, but that comes at a cost and has to be found from somewhere.”
