Councillor stands under trees to stop chainsaw massacre

Emergency preservation order now in place

A dramatic bid to halt the felling of some mature trees in an East Devon town has led to an emergency protection order being issued.

Councillor Jess Bailey said she was alerted to work that had just occurred to significantly reduce a mature hedgerow, and that moves were about to be undertaken to fell what she classed as “healthy trees” on Sidmouth Road.

Cllr Bailey (Independent, Otter Valley), who is a member of both Devon County Council and East Devon District Council (EDDC), stood under one of the trees to prevent it being chopped down by contractors with chainsaws.

She then contacted EDDC, which has responsibility for planning, including in relation to trees, in a bid to get the authority to protect them.

“I became aware that trees were about to be felled, so I rushed down to the site,” Cllr Bailey said.

“I was absolutely horrified by what I saw when I arrived –  a vast stretch of hedge had been completely decimated and there was literally nothing left of it.

“The contractors were poised with their chainsaws about to fell five roadside trees. I stood in the road under the trees and blocked contractors as they couldn’t chainsaw whilst I was in the way.

“When I was standing in the road under the trees I called the council tree officers and asked them to attend urgently and put in place emergency tree protection orders (TPOs). Residents stood with me and brought me cups of tea and a coat for which I was very grateful.

The trees are located on a site where a bid to build 63 houses was previously turned down by East Devon District Council.

Cllr Bailey said one of the reasons it had been rejected was because of the hedge along the edge of the site.

“Questions are being asked whether the hedge was removed last week in a cynical attempt to overcome the grounds for objection,” Cllr Bailey said.

“Residents want to know what enforcement action EDDC is going to take about the hedge removal.

“I am pressing EDDC to investigate what enforcement action can be taken under the hedgerow regulations.

“Hedgerows have significant levels of protection and are really important for wildlife. They cannot just be removed on a whim.

“Many residents have expressed their outrage at what has happened and expect the district council to do something about it.”

The plan for up to 63 homes on the land was refused by East Devon’s planning committee in November 2023, and an appeal was subsequently dismissed by the government’s Planning Inspectorate in December last year.

Part of East Devon’s reason for refusal related to the fact the site was an area of open fields, and the application included the “removal of a hedgebank to provide vehicular access and visibility splays [which] would have a harsh and harmful urbanising effect on the character and appearance of the area”.

“The resulting development would fail to respect the local distinctiveness or maintain the rural qualities evident in this landscape,” the decision stated.

“This identified harm is considered to significantly and demonstrably outweigh the benefits that the proposal could bring about.”

The agent who represented the applicant for the rejected planning application said he had “not been involved in the project for a number of years” and so no longer had involvement with the land owner or developer.