Save our Poplar tree

Aim

We are raising funds to support our campaign to halt the unnecessary felling of the last remaining Poplar tree on Brighton Road, Shoreham

The unjustified felling of the last Poplar tree on Brighton Road, Shoreham by Sea

A development of 159 flats is planned on the former site of the Civic Centre, Shoreham, providing much-needed new homes, many of which will be social or affordable homes.

However, this plan includes felling a perfectly healthy Grey Poplar tree, the last of its kind in the area and the tallest tree on Brighton Road between the two piers at Brighton and Worthing.  Since this tree sits on the very edge of the development, occupying less than 4% of the plot, we are questioning the developers to justify why the tree needs to be felled, rather than made a feature of the new development, especially in this time of climate-emergency and bio-diversity loss.

Local residents come together to seek a change to the plan

An 800-strong group of Shoreham residents have joined forces using the Facebook group Shoreham Poplar Front  to protest against this unjustified felling. They raised their concerns with Adur Council and Hyde Homes, the developer's of the new homes, submitting 400 objections into the planning process and registering a 2500+ petition requesting a change to the plan to save the tree by moving the boundary a few metres and reconfiguring the design to provide the same number of dwellings, but this simple compromise was rejected by the developers and Adur Planning Committee with neither party spending any serious effort to review this proposal.

Shoreham residents feel their views have no importance. They have lost faith in the their planning system and the planning committee.  Having tried and failed to have their voices heard through legal routes they now feel they have no option left other than direct action, so an occupation of the tree has begun with the sole aim of forcing Hyde Homes and Adur Council to listen to their local community's reasonable request to alter the design and reject any plans to fell the tree, and to honour their Environmental and Climate Change commitments in the local plan.

Our fundraising campaign aims to cover the costs of maintaining the community-led tree occupation and the potential legal fees we may face if the Council and the develop chooses not to enter into mediation with our non-violent protest.

If left alone this perfectly healthy Polpar tree will live well into the 2050's, absorbing pollution from the road and absorbing ground water in an area of flood risk.  It will also improve the appearance of new development with the added benefit that green spaces are proven to improve the well-being of residents. 

Please help us reach our funding goal for the sake of the current   

This project successfully funded on 13th October 2022