Poplar Front hold march against plans to cut down Shoreham tree

Around 280 people took part in the march, organised by campaign group the Poplar Front, to make their feelings clear to developers Hyde Housing and Adur District Council about plans to axe the tree in Brighton Road, Shoreham, to make way for a new 160-home development.

Drums were played, signs were held aloft, and people chanted “save our tree, leave her be”.

Passers-by along the route also added their support by honking their car horns.

Starting at the Shoreham Centre, the protestors walked along St Mary's Road and onto the A259 Brighton Road to the tree, where there was live music and people signed the group’s petition, which has so far garnered more than 3,000 signatures.

Hundreds turned up for the march in Shoreham (Image: Newsquest)

The group wants Hyde Housing to move the development’s boundary back to allow the 32-year-old tree to exist alongside the block of flats.

Darcy Harrison, spokesman for the group, said: “We have 3,000 signatures on our petition and hundreds of objections to the planning department.

“We’ve pleaded with Hyde Housing to alter the design and they’re not listening to us.

“So this is our only option, we need them to alter their design.

“We want them to engage with us, to listen to us and come to a compromise.”

Some protestors even donned a leafy costume (Image: Newsquest)

Adur and Worthing District councillor Cat Arnold, who represents St Mary’s ward in Shoreham and was at the march, said she had “fought hard” for the tree and that it “needs to be protected”.

“This is a major stretch for pollution,” she said.

“So we can’t cut down established trees like this.

“Most new trees take 15 to 20 years to start to supress carbon.”

It is not the first action the group has taken, in August members “occupied” the 19-metre-tall poplar, building a tree house and saying they would “stay as long as it takes” to save it.

The group built a tree house in the poplar (Image: Newsquest)

Hyde Housing initially planned an 11-storey tower of 171 flats on the site but this was withdrawn following concerns from people about the height.

The new scheme is said to be between nine and seven storeys high with 159 flats.

Hyde Housing previously said it understood the strength of feeling about felling the tree and said it is planting 20 semi-mature trees in the new development.

People gathered at the tree in Brighton Road (Image: Newsquest)

Andy Hunt, lead development manager at Hyde Group, said: “I understand the depth of feeling about the tree being felled and we’ve looked carefully at options to retain it, but unfortunately it wasn’t possible and would mean the loss of at least 12 social rented homes on the new development.

"There is a shortage of affordable homes available in the district and this would mean up to 25 people remaining in temporary, or unaffordable housing. The development will provide much needed affordable homes for up to 470 local people. The homes will be highly energy efficient with an EPC band A rating.

Many protestors carried signs (Image: Newsquest)

“Adur District Council, which granted the necessary planning approval, has agreed to the removal of the tree and has, throughout the design process, ensured sufficient tree planting forms part of the scheme.

"We’ll be planting trees along the Brighton Road and Ham Road boundaries of our site, which will improve the landscape and support wildlife.

“We’ve also sold another site, New Salts Farm between Shoreham and Lancing, to the council. This will be restored to its natural habitat, providing a new area of accessible green space for the local community that will increase biodiversity and carbon absorption, and help the council in its plans to become carbon neutral by 2030."