East Sussex residents oppose the wholesale cutting down of trees for housing development

Real estate developer Human Nature submitted a planning application to the South Downs National Park Authority for a mixed-use development in the Phoenix Industrial Estate at the start of February.

The company is is planning to cut down most of the trees on the industrial estate and all the trees along the Phoenix Causeway.

On finding out about these plans, Anna Silvestri started a petition in opposition to the the wholesale cutting down of the trees in the green corridor of the town.

Anna said: “These mature trees house a host of wildlife; birds, insects and small mammals, provide oxygenation to a heavy traffic area and constitute a valuable amenity to the town of Lewes that is not replaceable by the puny landscaping the developer is proposing to put in its place.

"Mature trees are essential for wildlife habitat, carbon sinking, providing shade and and cannot be replaced by saplings. We need to design new developments around existing nature - don’t destroy what we have."

All the trees along the Phoenix Causeway are covered by Tree Preservation Orders (TPOs), which is applied to protect trees which bring significant amenity benefit to the local area.”

However, TPOs can be overridden by a planning application if the relevant authority agrees.

Anna continued: "In these times when we know we need to look after our environment it would be wrong to cut these trees down.”

The Woodland Trust and the Sussex Wildlife Trust are among the organisations that have also expressed concern and opposition to the felling of the Phoenix Causeway trees.

HAVE YOU READ THIS?

East Sussex women "very lucky" after tree falls on her car and smashes windscreen

Competition set up to name new East Sussex bridge

Twelve fire engines called to ‘serious’ blaze at East Sussex garden nursery

Human Nature told SussexWorld it was working with local experts and specialists to look again at which trees might be preserved.

The proposals for the Causeway landscaping are part of the outline plan which is subject to further detailed plans which will be approved at a later date.

The Phoenix area has been semi-derelict for more than 15 years and Human Nature says it has to be regenerated to meet housing demands and provide flood defences for the whole area.

Jonathan Smales, CEO of Human Nature, said, "Planning for large regeneration schemes on wickedly difficult brownfield sites involves many difficult choices.

"Once choice here is avoiding construction traffic in town, minimising new traffic arising from the neighbourhood, providing some compensation for the loss of the bus station by providing bus laybys, connecting the town to the new river walk and providing attractive pedestrian access to the river along the unpleasant Causeway edge.

"Or we can retain some trees along a noisy, dirty, road with a narrow footpath which is the current situation.”

Human Nature plan to replace the existing vegetation along the Causeway edge with continuous linear park for pedestrians and cyclists, which will also accommodate public toilets, a café, a shelter for bus passengers and a new river walk.

Jonathan said: “Many more high quality trees will be planted at the Phoenix than will be lost, plus thousands more off site, much-needed affordable housing will be provided - this is the biggest ever affordable housing scheme in the National Park or District.”

The public consultation for the Phoenix Industrial Estate closes on April 21.

Currently the petition has more than 3,200 signatures – to find out more click here.