VILLAGERS are furious after chainsaw-wielding workers chopped down 20 trees “illegally” causing their houses to shake.
Residents in Corfe Mullen, Dorset, were horrified when a team of contractors axed the trees that were believed to be home to protected bats, owls and woodpeckers.
BNPSResidents in Dorset were horrified when a team of workmen axed the trees[/caption]
BNPSGerrard Hayes looking at one of his trees that got hacked down[/caption]
BNPSContractors arrived at 7am and took chainsaws to mature pine, oak and ash trees[/caption]
Rare orchids were also said to be growing on the plot of private land that had recently been acquired by a property developer.
Contractors arrived at 7am and took chainsaws to mature pine, oak and ash trees.
They brought in flood lights and worked until 9pm to level the site.
It is alleged that they also damaged fences and other trees belonging to neighbouring properties.
While Dorset Council confirmed that none of the felled trees were subject to Tree Preservation Orders, no planning application for the site had been submitted ahead of the work.
It is not known if the developers commissioned a bat and wildlife survey of the site before it was destroyed.
Local residents have reported the matter to Dorset Police which has now launched a criminal investigation into the matter.
In the UK, all bat species and their roosts are protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981.
Anyone who intentionally or recklessly disturbs bats and their habitats is liable for prosecution.
A spokesperson said: “Dorset Police received a report at 11.45am on September 26 of trees being cut down in Wimborne Road in Corfe Mullen.
“It is reported that bats resided in the trees.
“Further reports were received that damage was caused to fence panels. Officers attended and spoke to individuals at the scene.
“Enquiries are ongoing into the circumstances of what happened and to establish if a bat survey was carried out.”
The property, a large detached house with an acre of land, had belonged to an elderly widower who died last year.
It was bought by a developer who commissioned the work to clear the land ahead of expected building work.
Neighbours claim that the wooded area was home to bats and had taken photos and videos of the rare mammals.
Jackie Bonham, 55, who has lived next to the property for 17 years, said: “We had no warning. The work went on and on and there were big thuds, one after the other, of the trees coming down.
“The houses were shaking from the big excavators. We are not Nimbys.
“We all recognise the need for housing, but it is the way they have gone about it.
“You would expect to see some plans before the work started.
“We know it was a wildlife habitat. We know it was a habitat for bats because we have seen them.”
Duncan Sowry-House, the mayor of Corfe Mullen, said the town council is a statutory consultee for local developments, yet they had no knowledge of the work.
He said: “We had no notice of this. We would have expected to have seen outline plans and ecological and bat surveys and all of things that people who develop land have to conform with.
“But what appears to have happened here is that it has been missed.
“If you own land like a private garden and don’t have trees with any Tree Preservation Orders on then there is nothing to say they have to stay, but there are things that change that narrative and that is the ecological and wildlife aspect which has to be considered.”
A spokesperson for Corfe Mullen Town Council added: “The trees in question were a known habitat for significant wildlife.
“One of the council’s priorities has always been to maintain a balance between preserving Corfe Mullen’s natural beauty.
“The council remains committed to responsible environmental stewardship.
“This site and issues experienced are currently being investigated by Dorset Police and any further comment at this time would be inappropriate.”
The Sun has approached Bayview Developments for comment.
Jackie Bonham, 55, has lived next to the property for 17 yearsBNPS
BNPSThe house had belonged to an elderly widower who died last year[/caption]
BNPSIt is alleged contractors also damaged fences and other trees belonging to neighbouring properties[/caption] Published: [#item_custom_pubDate]
