Unnecessary fencing replacement

A substantial amount of low (almost entirely intact), serviceable wooden fencing along Hawkins Road, Larkin Close etc has recently been replaced with concrete bollards and metal poles at waist height.

The wooden fencing had been in place for around 9 years and was almost uniformly in good condition. A few small sections had been damaged and replaced over the years, but overall a very small percentage.

I cannot help but think that the wholesale replacement of the entire row of fencing is a poor use of council funds. It may reduce maintenance costs in the future, but I should think that the payback period of the would be an extremely long time, if the replacement costs were compared to the cost of repair/replacement of wooden fencing.

Furthermore, concrete is well known to be extremely carbon-intensive, so to replace the sustainable wooden fencing that was there beforehand seems particularly egregious in the context of the current climate crisis. This appears to be completely at odds with the Council's own Climate Change Strategy.

Throw away culture must not prevail when simple cost effective repairs can take place. If some sections required replacement, then replace those along rather than sending the lot to landfill.

A final point to add is that the new concrete and bare metal fencing is subjectively much less visually appealing than natural wood.