Councillor calls for laws to protect green spaces

Landowner hacked down two acres of woodland

Pleas have been for tighter laws to protect nature habitats and green spaces after two acres of woodland and scrub were hacked down without warning in Ilfracombe leaving “a wasteland”.

The sound of birds was replaced by the sound of machinery as mature trees and plant life were obliterated and secret gardens, which backed onto the haven frequented by deer at Langleigh, were suddenly exposed.

The landowner said he had cleared overgrown areas in order “to manage the field” after removing trees that had got out of hand for neighbours.

North Devon district and county councillor for Ilfracombe Sara Wilson said she was “really annoyed and angry” that the work, which had completely changed the environment, had been done in the nesting season (between March 1 and August 31) when the trees were likely to be full of life.

She said the law was weak around this and although it was illegal to chop down trees and hedges during the nesting season, landowners could justify it if checks were done.

“It’s very hard to find out if these checks have been done,” she said. “You can say you have looked at the whole site but you would have to climb each tree to see if there are any nests inside.

“It is inevitable at this time of year that birds are nesting.”

She said to prove a wildlife crime you would need dead nests and chicks on the ground and that wasn’t easy when land was in private ownership.

“Most of UK land is privately owned and a lot of it is not managed for wildlife habitat but it’s hard to enforce the law. There is no public access unless they have a public footpath running through them.

“We have more and more pressure on our green spaces than we have ever had before and they need to be protected.”

Cllr Wilson said she had spoken with contractors who were “polite” but said they were “just doing their job”.

Local residents were concerned that the land at West Wilder Brook was being prepared for development but that was confirmed as not the case as the landowner said they were planning to put livestock in the field.

A representative from North Devon Council attended the area and confirmed that none of the trees had tree preservation orders (TPOs) on them.

“I just think it’s really sad and shocking for local residents who live with the sound of the birds and all this nature to see most of the trees on this large site cut down and burned,” added the councillor. “Owners just see it as a resource, it’s a very different perception from the people who live there.

Resident Sue Sklar said she was “devastated” at the loss of this woodland area which went up to the bridleway at the end of Langleigh Lane.

“The bridleway was a tunnel of leafing trees and the woodland had a large amount of undergrowth and many trees as high as three storey buildings,” she said.

“This area is the view from my bedroom and lounge, and as I have chronic illness and am often bedbound and housebound it is especially galling. The dawn chorus has been under way and though now recovering a bit, was silent for days while the chainsaws and bonfires were burning. There were always bats flying in the evening.”

Another said their back garden had gone from “a little secluded private space to being so exposed and overlooked from the road above the field”.

“It’s gone from a nice green area to a wasteland,” they said.

The landowner, who did not wish to be named, said he had been asked by neighbouring properties to remove the trees next to their properties as they were worried they were getting out of hand and could pose a problem for their houses. 

“Whilst doing this we also cleared some overgrown areas so we could continue with management of the field along with the Japanese knotweed that has been growing there as a result of fly-tipping,” he said.

“We couldn’t do this work until the ground had dried up sufficiently for the work to go ahead. The contractors we hired to clear the field and put in fencing for livestock were extremely vigilant in checking trees for birds each day and made sure nothing was disturbed. They also created wildlife areas on the land.”

He added that money had been given to the National Trust so more trees could be planted on their land to make up for the loss.

“We are sorry if we have upset people but did not expect this response from neighbours as we thought we were doing the right thing and when we have cleared it in the past no-one said anything. 

“We are just looking to put livestock/horses back in the field and try and stop the fly-tipping as we have to cover the expense of removing this ourselves each time.”