A group from the Haringey Tree Protectors have occupied trees in Townsend Yard, Highgate this week in a protest to stop them being felled by a developer who is looking to squeeze seven homes into a small site.
Tree surgeons had been sent in to cut down two limes and a copper beech tree, but seeing the protestors were unable to continue. These trees had been subject to Protection Orders but these were inexplicably removed by Haringey when planning permission was given to the developer. A n application to build the homes was approved in 2020 by Haringey Council, despite objections by civic bodies including the Highgate Society.
Jane Leggett, one of the tree protesters, said:
“With the climate crisis we know about the benefits of having trees to clean the air and provide cover. They say that there will be some planting of one tree at the front, but that’s without taking into account that it is still the loss of four others and none of these will offer the same protection to local residents”
