A 500-year-old oak tree in Hereford could be cut down to make way for a £45,000,000 bypass, but the owner of a property in the way has refused to sell a patch of her garden
A gran is refusing to sell a patch of her garden to developers behind a £45million road scheme – in a bid to protect a 500-year-old oak tree.
Jean Harris fears the ancient oak, believed to date back about 500 years to the reign of Henry VIII, will be destroyed to make way for the planned Southern Link Road near Hereford. The 79-year-old woman, a retired school secretary and piano teacher, said she is determined to protect not only the tree, but the wildlife which has thrived around it for generations.
Jean has declined to sell any of her land. The elderly widow said: “It’s very old, about 500 years or so, and in perfect condition. Why would you want to ruin that? You can see it from the roads and it is definitely a landmark for us around here.”
Jean, a mum of two, has lived in the three-bedroom bungalow in Allensmore, Hereford, since 2003. She believes losing the oak would devastate the area’s wildlife, with bats and owls regularly seen around her home.
She said: “We get lots of bats and owls, there’s lots of wildlife around here. It’s a key area for all wildlife and to lose it would be catastrophic.”
The proposed two-mile Southern Link Road is designed to reroute the A49 around Hereford in a bid to ease congestion in the city centre. The scheme was first approved in 2015, but Jean argued planning rules have changed since then and believes building a 60mph road at the bottom of her garden is no longer the right solution.
She said: “It’s been called the Southern Link road, but it doesn’t do anything to alleviate heavy traffic in Hereford. All I will hear 24 hours a day is road noise. It’ll be an absolute nightmare.
“Lorries or big vehicles will create lots of loud noises, and the vibration will be horrible. It will be horrendous. There will be an embankment of the road where the end of the garden would be, so it’d effectively be right next to the house.”
Jean feared the development would also leave her £575,000 home virtually impossible to sell. She said: “I am quite concerned about that. We bought it 23 years ago for £175,000. I had my eye on it for a long time before we bought it; it was our dream home. The family all love it.
“I have no plans to sell up, and it’s just as well because who would want to buy a property right next to a busy bypass?”
Her determination to stay became even stronger following the death of her husband, Michael, whom she shared the property with. Although the section of land needed for the scheme has been valued at more than £58,000, Jean says she flatly refused to enter negotiations with Herefordshire Council.
The authority says most landowners affected by the scheme have either agreed terms or are close to reaching an agreement, but confirmed it has begun compulsory purchase proceedings where necessary.
A spokesperson said: “Most landowners have either agreed terms for the sale of their land or are close to reaching an agreement. In one case, discussions were paused by agreement to allow the landowner additional time, and we remain committed to working constructively to reach a voluntary agreement. Alongside these discussions, the council has begun the compulsory purchase process where required.
“This is a normal part of delivering major infrastructure projects and ensures the land needed for the scheme can be secured if voluntary agreements cannot be reached.”
