On Sunday May 28th, environmental campaigners set up a tree-top protest camp in Titnore Woods, in Durrington, West Sussex. They are protesting against a planned development including a new Tesco superstore (as if we need more of them in Sussex) and an estate of 875 new houses. The road-widening necessary for the plan will destroy ancient woodland including oak, ash, birch and willow trees.

Police threatened the camp with eviction, but have so far failed to follow up this threat. Locals have supported the protesters, bringing supplies such as rope and vegan food. A Protect Our Woodland spokesman said: “[The police] say we have got to move but we’re here and we’re going to make a show of how strongly we feel. We value green space and countryside more than money.”

Roadbuilding presents an almost constant threat to Britain’s ancient woodland. Ashenbank Wood in Kent was cut in two and about 20% of its area lost to make way for the construction of the Channel Tunnel Rail Link.
The high demand for housing is an even greater threat. 32 acres of Lodge Wood in Kent were allocated to housing development in 1996 – the ecological survey concluded that the benefits of the development outweighed the loss of valuable habitat.

Let’s get our priorities right. Some of this woodland dates back to the last Ice Age. Many of the trees are hundreds of years old. They, and the diverse habitats they support, are irreplaceable. Why are we willing to destroy them just for the sake of getting people from A to B in their polluting cars more quickly? House-building is a more defensible project, but there are more sustainable ways to develop affordable housing, either on brownfield sites or on derelict urban land.

Keep an eye on the sites listed below for up-to-date information on current campaigns. When building development threatens this country’s precious biodiversity, write to your MP, sign online petitions, join the protesters – save our trees!

Links:
SCAR (South Coast Against Roadbuilding) [1]
RoadAlert [2]