Linthorpe Lidl tree felling prompts petition against supermarket

Protesters said natural habitats had been lost in the tree felling

Hundreds of people have signed a petition against a new Lidl supermarket after the company angered residents by chopping down trees on the site.

Middlesbrough councillor Philippa Storey is calling on the authority to refuse planning permission for the store in Linthorpe.

Ms Storey, who started the petition, said the number of signatories showed the level of anger felt in the area.

Lidl said it would consult residents and had planned a "planting scheme".

Ms Storey said she launched the petition because, until a planning application was submitted allowing formal objections to be made, "residents needed a vehicle to express how they feel about the removal of the trees and about a potential supermarket on the site".

Linthorpe Labour councillor Philippa Storey said the petition allowed residents to air their views before official channels opened

Last week, the supermarket felled trees at the former Northern School of Art campus where it hopes to build the new store.

Ms Storey said it had been "shocking and soul-destroying to see".

"I would love it if the council had more control over which trees were being cut down - there needs to be an overhaul of how tree preservation orders are issued," she said.

Residents said habitats for local finches, robins and blackbirds and other wildlife had been lost.

They said the residential area on the boundary of a conservation zone was not suitable for a supermarket.

The petition has received more than 1,680 signatures since Wednesday.

The town's mayor Andy Preston and MP Andy McDonald have also voiced concerns about the location of the proposed store and the felling of trees, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

Lidl said no trees with tree preservation orders had been felled

Lidl said it had not confirmed a date for submitting a planning application but would undertake a thorough consultation with the local community.

A spokesperson said no trees with a preservation order had been felled since the supermarket chain bought the site.

"Whilst some work has been carried out with support from an independent arboriculturist, we will be proposing a comprehensive planting scheme to mitigate the initial loss of any existing vegetation," the company said.