Renewed appeal to plant more trees in Burley for Queen's jubilee rejected by verderers
A REQUEST to plant a dozen oak trees in Burley to commemorate the Queen’s platinum jubilee has been thrown out by the verderers for a second time.
Burley Parish Council’s bid to create a small copse on land at Cotts Lane as part of a nationwide scheme to “plant a tree for the jubilee” was first rejected in January over fears it would reduce grazing for commoners’ animals.
The verderers were asked to think again in March and April but, speaking at a meeting of the court yesterday (Wednesday), Official Verderer Lord Manners said they would not be changing their mind.
He said the body had given “careful consideration” to the arguments but had the full support of both Forestry England and Natural England in refusing permission.
He warned changing the policy of allowing just single trees to be planted would harm the Forest’s “mosaic” of rare habitats.
Lord Manners pointed out the verderers had given consent for one commemorative tree to be planted at the site.
He added: “This is in addition to two earlier consents for the planting of oak trees to replace felled diseased trees in Pound Lane, Burley, which were a departure from the normal verderers’ policy.”
The meeting heard the verderers had also consented to a single Rowan tree on the open Forest in Hyde and allowed East Boldre Parish Council to plant a tree near its village hall, with similar requests anticipated from other parishes.
He said: “Other royal events such as the next coronation will give rise to similar requests.
“Were the verderers to consent to this application for the planting of a copse, many other settlements within or bordering on the Forest would be entitled to expect similar treatment.”
Burley Parish Council chair Cllr Philip Daubeney told the A&T it was “regrettable” that neither Lord Manners nor the Deputy Surveyor had accepted an invitation to attend a parish meeting with 60 residents which he said had backed the planting plan.
He said: “The main criticisms were directed to the verderers’ preference for short-term commercial gain in protecting alleged encroachment on grazing land as opposed to the clearly stated policy of the government that more trees should be planted, the prestige given by the Queen and Prince Charles to the Green Canopy and the nationwide marking of Her Majesty’s jubilee.”
Cllr Daubeney went on to claim a lack of transparency in the verderers’ decision-making.