Thurston residents ready to renew protests over the felling of oak trees
Residents are ready to renew protests over the removal of oak trees.
The dispute has been reignited after letters were delivered to houses along Ixworth Road in Thurston, where the trees are located.
The letters stated that work to clear tree stumps, along with some of the remaining oak trees close to the proposed entrance to the housing development would start on June 1.
Persimmon Homes, which is undertaking the project, initially planned to remove the oak trees for visibility and safety reasons, but has now compromised and aims to leave some trees in place.
James Wells, who lives opposite one of the oak trees in Ixworth Road, is one of the residents who feel the proposal is still unacceptable.
He said: “We understood that there was going to be consultation between the developers and the council and the public, which doesn’t seem to have happened. Then a letter is delivered on the evening of May 22, giving us four working days’ notice.”
He continued: “They say they’re going to save two of them but I don’t see why they need to take any down. Surely there are traffic calming measures they could put in place.”
Mid Suffolk district councillor Wendy Turner described it as ‘crucial’ that we preserve our rural heritage and ecosystems.
She added: “Preservation of trees has to be at the centre of our aim to be carbon neutral. The planning decision to allow Persimmon to fell the trees was given a few years ago and since then the Government and our own local council (Mid Suffolk) have declared a climate and biodiversity emergency, which should now be taken into consideration.”
Mr Wells has also contacted MP Jo Churchill and is awaiting a response.
Work on the access route was delayed after protests at the start of March when members of Extinction Rebellion climbed some of the oak trees, tying themselves to them.
Persimmon Homes Suffolk’s spokesman said the company was ‘pleased’ the large oak at the top of Ixworth Road was being retained and negotiations with the authorities were ‘ongoing with a view to retaining the oak trees near the vehicular access off Ixworth Road to Thurston Community College’.
He said: “Work will resume on June 1 to complete the tree clearance started in February, in line with the planning consent for the college park development. We would like to thank everyone who has worked with us to reach a solution.”
