A HEDGE in Petersfield targeted for removal has been saved and placed under a protection order.
Petersfield Town Council wanted to rip out the 329m long hedge on the council owned Penns Place playing fields, as part of plans to redevelop the sports facilities there and improve them.
But the removal application to South Downs National Park Authority incensed local environmentalists, who claimed the hedge was hundreds of years old and a wildlife haven.
In a letter of objection to the authority Helen Cronshaw of Sandy Close in Petersfield said: “I am appalled at the proposed destruction of hundreds of feet of beautiful hedgerow, for no apparent reason. The loss of this hedgerow that provides a natural barrier between the playing fields and the land behind will prove disastrous for the wildlife that inhabit it, will leave no shelter for them or indeed for walkers.”
Gene Stoddart of Rother Close, Petersfield, said: “I can’t believe that the loss of this hedge is being considered without any survey or research into what wildlife would be lost or affected. This should be put on hold until the relevant people have reviewed the application fully and its impact.”
And the pressure to save the hedge paid off, with the national park director of planning Tim Slaney refusing to allow proposal to go ahead, and imposing a Hedgerow Retention Notice on the town council.
In a letter to the council he said: “The hedge qualifies as ‘important.’ It is now the subject of a hedgerow retention notice and its removal is prohibited.”
Petersfield Town Council can appeal to the planning inspectorate to overturn retention notice. The council can also submit a fresh application to remove the hedge, outlining in more detail why it wishes to remove it.