Two 128-year-old trees felled at garden centre

Doncaster Council rejected the application to fell the trees, but the decision was overruled by HM Planning Inspectorate

Two 128-year-old lime trees which were planted to commemorate Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee have been cut down - despite local opposition.

Campaign group Save Tickhill's Trees said the decision was a "stark reminder of how corporate interests can override local voices, heritage, and ecology".

QD Commercial Group Holdings Ltd, which owns the Cherry Lane garden centre on Bawtry Road, appealed against Doncaster Council's rejection of the plans last year and the decision was overruled by the government.

QD said the trees needed to be removed as they blocked access to the delivery yard, where a new site entrance was planned.

The new entrance would improve the safety of staff, customers and locals, as it would mean deliveries would no longer need to be unloaded in the car park.

QD said this has "potential safety impacts" as the centre became more popular, so it wanted to use the purpose-built yard again.

Simon Bourne, 50, who lives close to the garden centre on the tree-lined street, said a team had "turned up in force" to cut down the trees on 25 September.

"There were so many people to make it happen fast, and security staff - and then they disappeared," he said.

He added the decision had "generated a lot of frustration" and residents were feeling "powerless", particularly after a petition against the felling got nearly 3,000 signatures.

In a statement on Save Tickhill's Trees Facebook page, Rebecca Markillie-Bourne, 43, said the trees were "part of Tickhill's story".

"QD may operate in our community, but they have made it clear they do not listen to our community," she said.

"Those lime trees stood in our community for more than a century. They were part of Tickhill's story. And now they're gone - ripped down in half an hour for profit."

QD said: "At the core of this decision is our commitment to prioritising safety for our community, patrons, and staff."

Removing the trees would allow them to "widen the access road entrance, improving visibility and significantly promoting safety along A631 Bawtry Road".

Sally Jameson MP said she was "incredible disappointed" at the decision taken by QD.

"I want to thank those who led the Save Tickhill's Trees campaign for all of their work, and I am sorry that this is not the outcome any of us wanted."

QD said the reinstatement of a dedicated delivery yard was "essential" to "ensure the safety of everyone who visits our site".

It said: "We want to be clear: Cherry Lane did not want to remove the two mature lime trees at the site entrance.

"From the very beginning, we committed significant time, resources, and money to exploring every possible alternative that could avoid felling them.

"This included commissioning independent surveys, environmental and arboricultural assessments, and presenting alternative designs that retained the trees while addressing the safety risks.

"Every one of these proposals was formally submitted for consideration."

It added: "Doncaster Metropolitan Borough Council determined that tree removal was the only acceptable option."

Doncaster Council has been contacted for a statement.

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