Campaigners criticise road scheme tree felling

Campaigners have criticised the felling of trees as part of a scheme to dual a major road.

National Highways said 2,500 trees had been felled to create two additional lanes and two new junctions on a 5.5-mile (9km) stretch of the A47 between North Tuddenham and Easton, Norfolk.

David Hook, of the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE), said: "If you are completely altering a landscape, there is no way that can be described as sensitive."

National Highways said it was taking measures to protect the environment, including planting 7,000 new trees.

The scheme, costing up to £300m, was delayed by 20 months by legal challenges from environmental campaigners.

National Highways expects work to be completed in 2027.

Mr Hook, trustee of the Norfolk branch of the CPRE, said he could not understand how creating a dual carriageway could cause "that much destruction of trees" but that economic growth had "always been the enemy of green environmental causes".

He said: "We need infrastructure of the right type in the right places, and that does not necessarily include dualling a short stretch of road between Easton and the current dual carriageway.

"At the moment, certain species of animals get special consideration... how long those protections will remain in place, we'll see."

Chris Griffin, National Highways programme leader, said locally sourced trees were being planted as replacements for those felled.

Environmental work had also been carried out around the River Tud, he said.

"As part of the scheme, we have already created a brand new badger sett which has allowed us to move some badgers," said Mr Griffin.

A new water vole habitat had also been created, he said.

"The actual River Tud bridge is going to be expanded, which will allow for greater flood protection," he added.

Criticism of the scheme comes after it emerged that Norfolk County Council had planted 30,000 trees to replace 6,000 dug up during the construction of the Northern Distributor Road (NDR) near Norwich.

In 2023, Green Party politicians complained the saplings had not been properly maintained and "left to die".

Mr Griffin said contractors on the A47 scheme were being careful not to remove trees they did not need to.

He said mature trees would also be put in place which, it was hoped, would help bats to be redirected and "skip over the new road".

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