400-year-old trees are felled to make way for new road (From The Argus)
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400-year-old trees are felled to make way for new road in Hastings
12:10pm Wednesday 16th January 2013 in News
400-year-old trees are felled to make way for new road
Construction workers have felled four 400-year-old oak trees to make way for a controversial road.
Specialist bailiffs cleared protestors from the site so that work could begin on the Bexhill to Hastings link road.
The twenty plus activists who remain at two protest camps nearby say that they are battening down the hatches ahead of a planned mass eviction.
Activists had been camped in and around the four trees, just off Crowhurst Road, Hastings, since last week.
However, on Monday, with the bulldozers and chainsaws set to go to work on the oaks, the bailiffs were sent in.
Although no arrests were made, half a dozen protestors were removed from the trees by the specially trained climbers.
Patrick Nicholson, a member of the Combe Haven Defenders, said: “They were majestic trees. We were told that they would leave the largest of the trees but they cut that down as well.”
The group are now on high alert after learning that a mass eviction is planned for this week.
When The Argus visited the protestors last week, tunneler Simon ‘Sitting Bull’ William Medhurst, said that he was willing to risk his life for the cause.
The road, which is costing £94m, will run for 3.4 miles between the A259 B2092.
Clearing work is hoped to be completed by the end of March.
Comments(10)
gheese77
says...
12:34pm Wed 16 Jan 13
MarkBrighton
says...
12:43pm Wed 16 Jan 13
ductions.com/wild_ho
rses_of_newbury.htm
The English Oak... not quite as respected as it once was.
nosolution
says...
12:49pm Wed 16 Jan 13
Tallywhacker
says...
1:09pm Wed 16 Jan 13
jonmik
says...
5:18pm Wed 16 Jan 13
AmboGuy
says...
7:37pm Wed 16 Jan 13
sussexram40
says...
8:10pm Wed 16 Jan 13
AmboGuy
says...
9:44pm Wed 16 Jan 13
sussexram40 wrote:What a stupid comment. Believe me if people want to drive they will, building more roads does not 'encourage more onto the roads'. When have you ever heard of anyone deciding to buy a car because a new road's been built?
Disgradeful. All so can we tarmac over more of the countryside and build yet another road which will generate more traffic and encourage even more onto the roads.
suzyw1
says...
9:08pm Fri 18 Jan 13
AmboGuy wrote:I think it is recognised, by the DfT at least, that traffic will increase overal with the building of the new road. And one of the stated aims of the road is to open up land for business and housing developments. So yes, the road is expected to attract more traffic than we already have.
sussexram40 wrote:What a stupid comment. Believe me if people want to drive they will, building more roads does not 'encourage more onto the roads'. When have you ever heard of anyone deciding to buy a car because a new road's been built?
Disgradeful. All so can we tarmac over more of the countryside and build yet another road which will generate more traffic and encourage even more onto the roads.
george smith says...
12:31pm Wed 16 Jan 13