Skipton High Street's corridor of mature trees planted to celebrate the diamond jubilee of Queen Victoria will not be pruned at the present time - despite predictions that overhanging branches could affect the coverage of the town's new closed circuit television cameras.

Members of Craven District Council's planning committee, which met on Monday, discussed an application to remove one lime tree in Caroline Square and to crown lift 19 lime trees in the High Street and Swadford Street. All the trees are currently protected by tree preservation orders.

There was also a second application to fell seven sycamore, seven ash and two elder trees all situated along the bank of Ellerbeck, Millfields, near Coach Street car park.

Both applications have been made by the Craven Community Safety Partnership, which is installing CCTV cameras in Skipton and wants to make sure the cameras have clear sight lines without obstruction from tree branches.

However, great opposition was expressed to both of the applications.

Andrea Adams, clerk to Skipton Town Council, said the trees on the High Street should not be pruned unnecessarily.

She said: "The trees are of historic importance and were planted to celebrate the diamond jubilee of Queen Victoria in 1897. This council would want to protect this heritage and not see these trees removed or spoilt."

She added the council did agree to the removal of one of the trees - the lime tree outside Superdrug in Caroline Square which had been damaged.

However, Mrs Adams added: "The council object to any work being carried out to the other trees in the High Street until CCTV has operated through the winter and clear information is available regarding the extent of any obstruction."

Gwynne Walters, secretary of Skipton-in-Craven Civic Society, was also bitterly opposed to the proposal.

She said: "The implication for Skipton's trees should have been made clear when the plans were submitted for the siting of CCTV cameras.

"It is not just a matter of aesthetics but of visitor attraction and consequent prosperity and employment. This blanket application is alarming because it has the potential to affect every tree. Some homework should be done to identify exactly which trees impede the camera's sight lines and the extent of the work required to overcome the problem."

With regard to the removal of trees at Eller Beck near Coach Street car park, she added: "That these trees are self-seeded and multi-stemmed does not prevent this affording a welcome green border to a large, stark expanse of car parking."

Coun Paul English said: "With this application the word 'Oops' and 'oversight' spring to mind."

He added the trees on Skipton High Street were no ordinary trees and were a main feature of the town.

"I'm fully supportive of CCTV. This council has done all it could to fight for it and we eventually got it. But I'm very concerned about people just going and working on the trees and would prefer a deferment."

Coun English added the safety partnership should get the cameras up and running first and see to what extent the trees blocked sight lines, if at all, before any pruning began.

Tree officer Eric Gill told members when the cameras were up in operation, if any black spots were identified, these would have to be dealt with quickly and that was why a block application had been made. He added not all the trees covered by the application would be pruned.

He added the lime tree outside Superdrug in Caroline Square would cause considerable obstruction to the CCTV cameras.

Alan Atkins, partnership co-ordinator , asked for the application not to be deferred. He said the cameras were due to be operational in October, but the full effect of trees on camera sight lines would not be known in the winter.

Coun Richard Welch asked what members would think if someone got their handbag pinched but it could not be seen on the CCTV because there was a tree branch in the way. He added if plans to prune the trees were deferred, how many crimes would be missed in the meantime.

"Do you want a branch or two hanging down or a crime free High Street?" Coun Welch added.

However, members agreed to give the go-ahead to the felling of the trees at Eller Beck, but made the request that there would be replacement planting of low level shrubs.

They also agreed the application to prune the trees on the High Street should be deferred until the cameras had been installed. Members decided to defer any pruning work until next Spring when a proper assessment could be made. It was added the Lime tree in Caroline Square should be felled.