Local campaigners have committed to continue their protests to save as many trees in The Walks as possible in London Road. On Monday the focus of the contractors turns to The Embankment area. These beautiful trees could all be gone by the end of the day; so we will all be there again from 8am to save our trees!
On Sunday we held a meeting in the car park of The Embankment to update everyone and to galvanise support to save the trees on the Nene side of the roundabout and end of The Walks. Over 70 concerned local people of all ages turned out to hear passionate speeches from Marion Turner-Hawes and Valerie Anslow.
After the meeting everyone held a vigil under the all but doomed trees, thronging along the roadside hand in hand, fully supported by passing drivers. PurpleVision captured this moment of reflection perfectly as he so often does. See https://fb.watch/jfymxY7gid/
You might ask why we carry on fighting to save our historic limes on The Walks, to protect all of the nature they support and the joy they have given to local people for over 100 years. Well for some inspiration the Northants Telegraph has captured the years of joy and life these pillars of Wellingborough have brought by clicking here.
Over 100 concerned local people rallied to prevent the destruction of the Wellingborough Walks lime trees this week, but the contractors still managed to cut down 14 healthy 80-100 year old trees. They were due to fell 38 this week and are coming back on Monday to cut down more on the Embankment side of the roundabout.
So protesters, lobbyists and campaigners are vowing to continue the fight to save our trees. We are meeting on Sunday 26th February, 4-5pm, in the Embankment Car Park by the threatened trees to hold a meeting about the next steps and then holding a Candlelight Vigil for the trees which might be felled on Monday. If you would like to see what you can do to help protect our historic limes please do come.
Here is some inspiration from one of the protesters that was arrested this week. Sherry and others put themselves in the way of the keen contractors to delay their attempts to destroy the Walks, and successfully did so until Wednesday afternoon until the police started dragging local people off to be arrested. But Sherry vows to continue the fight. Click here to read why in the Northants Telegraph.
Protesters will be attending from 9am this morning to hopefully save our trees and to ensure that the trees with bat’s aren’t felled. We lost 12 old lime trees on The Walks on Thursday, making it 14 felled in total. The contractors were due to fell 38 this week, so we have saved 24, so all are not lost yet, keep up the fight, join us if you can?
Here is a response from the Woodland Trust received after the trees were cut down yesterday:
Good afternoon,
Thank you for contacting us. We were so sorry to see the social media reports on the felling of the lime trees on Wellingborough Walks.
Sadly, in this case, as the Woodland Trust is a non-statutory consultee we are unable to intervene with direct action but we would suggest that local residents contact their councillors to exert pressure on the administration and its officers – the latter of which may be more responsive to those with a democratic mandate. Residents can also raise their concerns with the developer, and hopefully, this will help to secure a binding commitment to replace all trees lost. It would also be good to seek assurances that the promised tree planting referenced in the statement does happen – and that those trees are monitored and cared for to ensure they survive and thrive into the future.
We would also encourage residents to pressure the Local Planning Authority to appoint a person with the appropriate Tree expertise, such as a tree officer, and consider putting together a Trees and Woodland Strategy for their authority – details: A Trees and Woodland Strategy Toolkit for Local Authorities (treecouncil.org.uk).
In the meantime, the Woodland Trust is working hard behind the scenes to try to influence developers on a more strategic level and to seek assurances that future planning applications will be denied where significant tree loss, such as that at Stanton Cross, would be necessary.
Also, this week in the House of Lords the Woodland Trust chair Baroness Young is putting forward a series of amendments to the government’s Levelling Up & Regeneration Bill to strengthen and improve how Tree Preservation Orders work . The objectives of the amendments are to:
Embed existing good practice – eg in adopting a wider definition of ‘amenity’ and a proactive approach to protecting important trees.
Enable TPOs to be used to protect the deadwood habitat of ancient and veteran trees, as this is super valuable for nature.
To ensure TPO protection cannot be removed without good reason (uplift guidance into legislation)
Support enforcement – by creating a single offence and hopefully removing the burden to prove harm will be fully destructive to access larger fines commensurate with potential profits
Six more trees cut down so far taking the total to 8 felled so far, and it looks like several more are getting cut down today. No arrests and no police presence until we left. Such a terrible day for 100 years of history and nature in Wellingborough, all because of a failing unitary council’s lack of action and the greed of a pointless road development.
All back again tomorrow to see what’s left of the limes on The Walks.
Join us again after a very sad day, this Thursday Morning from 8am where we hopefully won’t allow any more trees to be cut down, or suffer heavy handed policing.
Local residents hoping to save an avenue of trees from developers’ chainsaws have been unable to stop the felling. After a long stand-off between protesters and construction contractors, Northants Police stormed in and arrested three people. A fourth was arrested later.
The tactics of the police today have been heavily criticised by Amnesty International, stating: ‘Arrests at an entirely peaceful protest by local residents trying to prevent the destruction of a large number of historically-important and protected trees appears ludicrously heavy-handed.’ Click here to read more.
It had looked as if clearance work would wait until risk assessments had been carried out but at about 1.30pm chainsaws sprung into action, swiftly downing two trees where the Victorian railings had been removed with an angle grinder.
Police threaten protestors then arrest three including Anthony, aged 84, and Marion consoles a local resident in tears after two trees are lost.
Campaigner Marion Turner-Hawes said: “I’m just so devastated. I am angry the residents have been left to be the frontline. A full report from Allison Bagley of Northants Telegraph from Wednesday by clicking here. Here is their video of the first tree being felled.
Do join us this Thursday Morning from 8am to stop any more trees to being cut down. Don’t let North Northamptonshire Council, Bovis Homes and their contractors get away with this criminal vandalism.
Despite our best efforts to block their progress both physically and legally, North Northamptonshire Council and Bovis Homes contractors have successfully felled two of our mature limes on The Walks this afternoon. We have had four people arrested today, trying to defend our trees.
We have video evidence of this crime being committed and will be again seeking legal advice to see if we can convict those responsible for this environmental devastation. They have now ceased work for the day, we will all be back tomorrow to stop further trees being chopped down.
Stay of execution for another day, as protesters are threatened with arrest on Tuesday, but developers promise to start the destruction of the lime trees on the Walks on Wednesday. Can we stop the chop again? Protests start from 8:30am on the Embankment and Walks.
Arriving as the fencing was being erected on Tuesday North Northants councillor Tim Allebone (Con, Croyland and Swanspool) said: “We seem to be systematically trashing Wellingborough. I want as many trees as possible saving. I am not happy about this. I appreciate we need the eastern bypass but this is an historic established route into town. Attractive and perfectly healthy trees are being decimated.
We managed to stop the chop on Monday, can we continue to prevent the destruction of our trees by North Northamptonshire Council. We hope so. Join us from 8:30am to get in their way again. If we can stop them setting up then we keep our trees. See you there!
Monday was a huge success, thank you everyone who stood at the entrance to the Embankment car park, where workers had parked their vans containing barriers needed to section off the pavement. It meant the contractors were unable to start work as the road was not closed.
As the stand-off continued, behind the scenes Marion Turner-Hawes, who had first highlighted the imminent felling of the trees, was seeking legal advice from campaigning specialist ‘tree barrister’ Paul Powlesland, founder of Lawyers for Nature. He has offered his services to help sift through the hundreds of documents to ascertain if there is any legal way to challenge the planning decision.
Click here to read more about it on the Northants Telegraph website. Do join us from 8:30am tomorrow to get in their way again.
Individuals blocked the road management crews from leaving the Embankment Car Park. Also includes an interview with Wellingborough Eco Group‘s Jonathan Hornett who says why we all want to save our trees!
People have already been turning out to protect our trees from being cut down this morning. Join us for a full protest from 9am. This could be the last time you see our historic limes on this section of the Walks, will you let them destroy over 100 years of our history or the habits for thousands of birds and bugs.
Meet at the Dog and Duck Pub at 9, or on the Walks – see you there!
