UK
Southampton Airport seeks to butcher 200-year-old trees - and cut down others

Natalia Forero
Sat, 17 February 2024

Marlhill Copse, which is next to Southampton Airport

Southampton Airport wants to cut off the tops of 25 trees in a 200-year-old woodland - and cut down 15 more.

But the bid is set to be thrown out by city development chiefs.

The airport applied to reduce the height of 25 trees in the woodland area but it is set to be rejected since it will harm the conservation area.

However, a second application to remove 15 trees in the same woodland is recommended to approve the cutting down of 14.

READ MORE: Southampton Airport loses bid to work on trees at Marlhill Copse

In October 2023, Southampton City Council received the planning application from the airport which outlined its plan to reduce the tops of 24 individual trees and one group of broadleaf trees within Marlhill Copse in Bitterne Park, on the southern side of the airport over the M27.

According to the report by officers recommending refusal, the reduction in height of the 25 trees included one oak by more than 13 metres, another by 12, metres and one Douglas Fir by more than 10 metres.

The airport said the work related to the Civil Aviation Act, which gives the secretary of state powers to make direct orders restricting the height of trees; however, the order hasn’t been received, meaning the application had to proceed via the usual council’s planning process.

Daily Echo: Marlhill Copse has been the scene of protests by environmentalists opposed to the felling of trees

Marlhill Copse is a nationally registered garden within the Itchen Valley conservation area. It is estimated that trees there were planted around 1800.

The report indicates that the woodland is a “fine example of mature oak trees grown as standards” and added: “During the 1920s and ’30s, these were thinned, and the glades were planted with many unusual trees and shrubs, particularly Rhododendrons, Magnolia and Nothofagus, some of which remain today.”

The council’s historic environment officer presented its objection, saying the proposal’s negative impact on the woodland, would “diminish” the woodland and would “fail to preserve and hence cause harm to, the character or appearance of the Itchen Valley Conservation Area.”

Ten public comments were also received objecting to the proposal. One objector said that the application is absolutely “shocking” and will add more noise and pollution to the area.

They added: “I am sure there are ways for this airport expansion to proceed without this destruction of protected trees, which we have seen many times before, protected trees are not protected.”

Another resident said: “It would be a bit hypocritical that, after objecting to the runway extension, the council should now allow this action, which will facilitate the airport’s intentions of increasing air traffic along with more emissions over Southampton as they take off. So much for a ‘greener’ city.”

More comments said: “This will harm local wildlife and the conservation area. Why can’t the airport continue to manage these slow-growing trees in the way it has successfully done before, instead of this? This would cause harm to the individual trees from the huge ‘crown reductions’. It would cause harm to other trees within the wood resulting from so much removal of vegetation, exposing them to wind and more light.”

The planning authority will also consider a second planning application. However, in this case, it is proposed to fell 15 trees at the same location, of which officers recommend 14 are approved and one refused.

The reason for the felling is based on grounds of safety. However, the proposal includes provision for Monterey pines to be planted along the boundary of Marlhill Copse.

The council’s planning committee is set to decide both applications on Tuesday (February 20).