Kentish Express Ashford & District
Ancient woodland left devastated as huge trees felled
Council takes action against owners of land
The destruction of woodland has been compared to illegal logging in the Amazon rainforest.
Giant oak trees have been felled at Sparrow Wood, part of the ancient Hoads Wood, near Bethersden, a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), while material has been dumped and covered with earth.
Tom Shelley, whose wife owns an adjacent section of the wood, has captured a scene of devastation, where a huge tract of land has been cleared of trees some of which were subject to tree protection orders, leaving just the stumps remaining.
He said: “The area has been cut down and cleared using construction equipment, and covered up with a layer of soil.”
Dr Shelley says that council officials appear “powerless” to stop the destruction.
He says the situation has parallels with illegal logging, mining and ranching in the Amazon, which the Brazilian government has largely been unable to prevent.
Ashford Borough Council (ABC) says it has taken action against the owners of the land.
A spokesman said: “We have obtained an injunction order in the high court prohibiting any further unlawful felling or any further development without the benefit of planning permission.”
Dr Shelley said that as well as chopping down the trees “a great deal of waste material was tipped there [in the wood]”.
Woodland in the area typically features oak and hornbeam, wild flora and grasses, deer, buzzards and owls and is subject to an article four directive, restricting permitted development.
Dr Shelley says he first saw machinery on the woodland at the beginning of last month, with work continuing apace despite a court order pinned to one of the trees at the site entrance forbidding it.
He said: “How can we possibly prevent illegal logging in the Amazon rainforest when we cannot even prevent it in darkest Kent?”