Yet more deforestation is taking place at the huge Beaufort Park development for hundreds of homes on the outskirts of Bracknell.
Beaufort Park in South Road is situated between Bracknell and Crowthorne, and next to Easthampstead Park Cemetery.
The site is split between a Taylor Wimpey development of 68 homes called the Evergreens, where homes have been occupied and on sale, replacing the office building there.
Immediately next to it is a development of 226 homes by The Hill Group and Southern Housing.
Neighbours at The Evergreens were expecting a line of trees to be retained on the site, which was meant to provide a six to eight metre boundary between the two developments.
But felling of these ‘boundary trees’ was undertaken by contractors for The Hill Group in April, with a neighbour calling it a ‘total devastation’ of the woodland.
In the latest twist of the saga, trees that neighbours expected to be kept have been cut down as well.
A resident in The Evergreens who spoke on the condition of anonymity said: “All trees they said were safe are not safe and will come down regardless.
“What has been lost is Taylor Wimpey are complicit on this – they didn’t take action until it was too late, when we flag concerns, they are acted on too late.
“Taylor Wimpey are rolling over and letting them have their way.
“I’ve warned about the safety of the current trees well in advance. The residents are going nuts, all the trees are going to disappear.”
A spokesperson for Taylor Wimpey said: “Tree safety assessments are being conducted by specialists following neighbouring development work by a third-party developer.
“Any recommended actions will require full planning permission from the Bracknell Forest Council before they can be implemented.
“Replacement planting will be subject to separate council approval and planning requirements.
“We have submitted proposals and are in discussions with the council in that regard.”
A landscaping plan for 15 new trees and 79 conifers to the south of The Evergreens has been submitted by Taylor Wimpey.
Meanwhile, a spokesperson for The Hill Group said: “A number of trees have been felled and further trees are required to be removed as part of our approved planning permission at Beaufort Park.
“All trees are felled in accordance with plans prepared by a qualified ecologist and are submitted to the planning authority.”
You can view the Taylor Wimpey application for tree planting by typing reference 25/00092/COND into the council’s planning portal.
Councillors approved The Evergreens development in November 2021, with the 226 homes project being rejected in 2022 but revised and approved in March last year.
