Residents stand up to protect trees endangered by 66 bedroom care home development in Middleton-On-Sea

Plans for the care home were first submitted back in 2019, when they were refused by Arun District Council officers on the grounds that the development would negatively effect the character and appearance of the area.

The site is home to two ash trees and a field maple tree protected by Tree Protection Orders, which it was feared the development would negatively effect.

Revised plans were submitted under an appeal later that year and accepted under the condition of that, amog other things, planners submitted an arboricultural method statement and plans to safeguard the roots of protected trees.

Despite assurance from an Arun District Council tree officer that the new plans will ‘ensure the adequate protection’ of the trees, some residents are unconvinced.

"How can a tree officer allow HGVs and numerous cars, vans and lorries to drive over the roots of protected trees and claim they will be okay?” reads one objection posted to the Arun District Council planning portal.

"It is essential to protect this area of natural beauty,” reads another. “There is already a large amount of traffic pollution and congestion along Yapton Road and at Comet Corner.”

Middleton-On-Sea resident Timothy Bell said the ash trees in particular have unique botanical value and their loss would do more than just damage the character of the village.

"The ash trees are about forty years old, which means they’ve reached the point in the life of an ash tree when they’re less likely to be attacked by Dieback disease, so if they are not damaged or felled, they might be a source of seedlings to replace ash trees all over Britain.

“If you drive over the roots of ash trees without installing a very special sort of roadway, you’ll crush the roots and damage the trees. We understand that a bit of foliage has to be cut off those trees in order to give access, but there are going to be some pretty heavy loads of bricks and other materials going over those roots.”

For Mr Bell, as well as for many other residents, concerns for the health of protected trees is just one of a host of problems with the development.

"There’s just not enough car parking on the plans at the moment,” Mr Bell added. “There are only 14 car spaces for the builders, and that’s not enough for the team who are going to be building the care home, so it’ll spill out onto surrounding roads and cul de sacs and we have enough cars parked already.”

Objections on the council planning portal echo Mr Bell’s concerns. “Yapton Road is a little country lane which will become very unsafe with large machinery/ lorries driving down it. The safety of everyone plus all our health and welfare must be considered, as well as all the wildlife which currently live in all the trees and hedgerows.”

To find out more about this application, search for M/106/22/DOC on the Arun district planning portal.

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