TREES planted on Port Meadow to hide the controversial Castle Mill buildings from view have already fallen foul of the wildlife.

The 60 trees are being planted as part of the planning permission that allowed the building of the controversial student accommodation in Roger Dudman Way.

But some have already been damaged by either horses or cattle, leading Freeman of the City of Oxford Alison Cobb saying it proves mitigation planting to obscure views of the buildings from Port Meadow will not work.

Construction of the buildings has sparked protests because of the development’s impact on the view of the ‘Dreaming Spires’ from the meadow.

The university is paying for the city council to plant the trees but Mrs Cobb, who lives in nearby Binsey, said damage done to the first trees planted on the south side of Port Meadow proves this kind of mitigation planting is not an effective solution.

She said: “They have been ruined or trampled by the horses.

“They had only been there less than a week but the horses found them delicious.

“They are just wasted by careless planting. I counted six damaged and 11 badly damaged trees which won’t recover.

“They have been wiped out by horses or cattle. They had only been there less than a week. We can see the blocks from the village and the trees were a way of trying to hide them from anyone in Port Meadow.

“The trees don’t help anyway – everyone is able to see the buildings unless you are lying on your stomach.

Save Port Meadow campaign leader Toby Porter said: “Nobody wants to see well-intentioned attempts to manage the impact of the blocks fail. But the reality is tree screening was never going to be the answer.”

The city council said the damaged trees would be replaced.

Spokesman Louisa Dean said: “The planting will be replaced and increased protection provided to ensure that this doesn’t happen again.

“This planting does not compromise future options for the development or represent a final landscaping solution.

“These matters remain decisions for the west area planning committee and the University of Oxford.

“The council is continuing to seek further solutions to the public concerns and is in dialogue with the university.”