Seaview residents are in uproar after ancient woodland was cut back to make way for a new property.
The matter is now under investigation. An area of woodland on Pier Road, looking out to Seagrove Bay has, according to residents, been ‘decimated and stripped bare’ – although a woodland management plan was approved for the site.
The site has been protected by tree orders from 1993, but applicants Mr and Mrs Simon Edwards received approval by the Isle of Wight Council, in March 2020, to ‘selectively thin woodland’ by 20% over a period of 10 years.
A felling licence from the Forestry Commission was also obtained defining the operation would not fell 30% of the total number of trees or remove more than 30% of the original canopy. Residents, however, say it appears to them as if almost 80% of trees were removed over a 5-week period in the Autumn.
In objections submitted to the latest planning application for the demolition of garages and the building of a 3-storey 5-bed house on the site, several Pier Road residents and some former have laid out their concerns.
One former resident said:
“It appears the applicant has wantonly, immorally and arrogantly exploited a loophole in planning law by felling a considerable amount of timber in contravention of the woodland management plan … The so-called mitigation does not compensate for the serious loss of wildlife habitat.”
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Pictures submitted by neighbours show what they call the ‘ongoing destruction’ of red squirrel habitat which they fear has exceeded that permitted, and more could be lost with the construction of the house.
The Isle of Wight Council said the planning authority is currently investigating the removal of trees at the site.
Cllr Paul Fuller, cabinet member for planning and housing said:
“The potential loss of protected trees is always a matter of real concern. As Cabinet member, I am in full support of this matter being investigated and appropriate action being pursued.”
The council said as both cases were live, it was unable to comment further.
Applicant Mr Edwards responded to concerns raised via the council’s planning register, saying the work was carried out under the approved plans and the site had become somewhat degraded over time with a number of sycamores identified as being dangerous.
He said:
“We as new owners, wish to halt the further decline and improve this woodland’s biodiversity and resilience by reducing the threats of over dominance of sycamore and non-native ground-layer plants. We have therefore taken steps to improve the diversity of the future canopy species and encourage wildlife.”
Mr Edwards said 100 trees, 150 shrubs and 3,000 woodland spring bulbs had been planted as a response to the removal.
Responding to the application, the council’s tree officer Jerry Willis and the Woodland Trust both raise concerns with the application saying it goes against the National Planning Policy Framework which would result in the loss or deterioration of irreplaceable habitats and should be refused.
With the removal of the trees and the potential building of the house, residents also fear the stability of land has now been compromised.
One said:
“Having had to underpin once, after a rotational slip across Seagrove Bay in 2003, and contribute a significant financial amount to installing a private, deep curtain drain in the road to take away the run-off water from the woods to protect our house, I am now horrified at the prospect of the damage that could ensue from the approval and implementation of the proposal.”
A ground stability report provided as part of the planning documents said the wood-frame house would be built within the footprint of the existing structures and although it should be considered as a development on a potentially unstable site, the proposed development could be achieved while not increasing the risk of instability on the site.
Comments on the application, 21/01075/FUL, will be accepted until Friday 2nd July.
Unstable ?! Numb nuts. How many litres of water do You think all those trees soak up in one day ?
Making themselves popular in their new community too.
Wonder why it says 3 comments but only one was here? Why so many comments being removed now? What is going on here these days?
Yep, bloody good question,big fan of IE, but could you please explain your reasoning????
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Thank you IE, makes a bit more sense now, keep up the good work….!
This isn’t true though. There have been many comments, perfectly reasonable and nothing offensive or insulting as in no bad language or threats, but have still been removed, Some of my own comments never appear at all, and other comments I have seen, perfectly valid comments, some I’ve replied to and later the comments I replied to are also gone. I can give examples but that would probably make this comment disappear, if it even shows up.
Yep, see your point, l had a moan last week about the same thing and got a reply from someone called Sam, stating that “this is a private news platform and if you don’t like it bugger off and build your own one”…?!
So many people trying to control others on their own land. Next step they’ll be complaining about how they dress.
When what people do on their own land affects the wider community, and more importantly, *our environment*, not just theirs, but everybody’s, then people have every right to try and stop them from doing something detrimental to the wider community.
no one actually truly “owns” land – they merely borrow the exclusive use of it from the planet and hold a document which allows them to dictate to other humans over access to that bit of land. – you do not get to take it with you,when you die.
over the course of history – how many humans have stood on the same piece of land, proclaiming that it is theirs, only to die later on and someone else just rocks up, stands there and says it is mine – the cycle repeats ad infinitum
I don’t blame people for being upset. Just because it’s their own land, they can’t just do just as they like with it, cutting down trees affects the wider community and the environment as a whole. People have every right to be upset about this.
If you can afford a million pound house then they can way lay a bit of that in bribes to the local council or their Masonic bum chums.It’s the way the world works.