Furious Hampshire villagers go to war with custodians of New Forest after being banned from planting trees there to celebrate Queen’s Platinum Jubilee
- Residents of Burley, Hampshire, want to plant 12 oak trees to honour the Queen
- The village has planted trees to celebrate royal jubilees for the last 125 years
- The Verderers, the institution which protects the forest, has denied the request
- It says it could potentially impact on grazing land for the national park’s ponies
Furious villagers have gone to war with the New Forest after they were banned from planting trees to celebrate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.
People living in the Hampshire village of Burley are battling with the custodians of the national park after they rejected their proposals to plant 12 oak trees to ‘pay homage’ to Her Majesty.
Residents of the village say it has a 125-year tradition of planting trees to commemorate royal jubilees.
This year, to mark the 70th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth’s reign, Burley Parish Council (BPC) hoped to dig in the trees on grassland in their village in the New Forest.
Councillor Robert Clarke, of Burley Parish Council, says the village wishes to ‘honour’ the Queen by planting the trees for her Platinum Jubilee
The village council is furious after the Verderers, which is charged with protecting the forest, refused them permission to plant 12 oak trees on this plot of land (pictured)
But the 800-year-old institution charged with protecting the forest, the Verderers, rejected their application because of the potential impact it may have on grazing by the New Forest’s famous ponies.
The Verderers, which protect and regulate agricultural practices in the national park and date back to the 13th century, told BPC they can only plant one oak tree.
However, the council has now hit back with a renewed and impassioned plea to plant 12 trees – insisting that a Royal may wish to inspect them.
Having launched a new fight against the refusal, the council is now awaiting a decision from the Verderers’ court in the coming weeks.
Councillor Robert Clarke, who is responsible for trees in Burley Parish Council, told the Court of Verderers they wish to ‘honour’ Queen Elizabeth II, who will celebrate her Platinum Jubilee in June.
Cllr Clarke said: ‘The planting is intended to be a very public gesture of the villagers’ sense of loyalty to Her Majesty and appreciation of our monarch’s long reign.
‘Who knows, a member of the Royal Family may wish to inspect our planted tree when a visit is next planned to the New Forest.
Burley Parish Council wants to plant 12 oak trees in the red area pictured above. They would be next to nine surviving trees planted for the Queen’s silver jubilee in 1977 (pictured in the green area)
Burley Parish Council wants to plant the trees to ‘pay homage’ to Queen Elizabeth II, pictured here cutting a cake at Sandringham House in February
‘BPC will certainly be confirming this tangible token of appreciation when we write our customary letter of congratulation and good wishes to Her Majesty the Queen closer to June 2.
‘Burley villagers wish to be seen by our monarch, and the wider British public, as honouring the very long and outstanding service of Her Majesty to this country, knowing that she herself wishes to see the occasion taken as a real opportunity to increase the tree cover of our country to a generous and meaningful extent.
‘Is that not then a reasonable aspiration for any New Forest villager? And one worthy of encouragement?
The trees were to be planted in the village of Burley, in the New Forest National Park, but the organisation responsible for the upkeep of the forest has refused the plans
The Verderers said it was concerned about the impact planting the trees would have on grazing in the national park. Pictured is Cllr Clarke next to the land where the tree would be planted (circled in red)
Cllr Clarke said the planting of trees to mark royal jubilees has been a tradition in the village for ‘at least 125 years’
‘May I then ask you again to reconsider your decision and grant us permission to plant our desired 12 tree copse… for the sake of Her Majesty’s pleasure, and a meaningful token of our concern for the future of our open forest trees.
What are the Verderers of the New Forest?
Dating back to the 13th century the Verderers are thought to have originally acted as a court which passed sentence on crimes committed within the boundaries of the New Forest.
Other woodlands, including the Forest of Dean and Epping Forest also have verderers.
In their roles they deal with the management of common land, where the New Forest’s famous ponies roam.
The group has the role of trying to maintain the natural beauty of the environment and preserve the character of the land which has developed over the last 900 years.
As a result it has the power to approve or refuse applications that would affect non-private land in the New Forest.
Members of the group are unpaid, and they meet once a month.
The organisation employs a group of people called ‘agisters’ who are tasked with ensuring animals grazing in the national park are safe and well on a day-to-day basis.
‘But more than that, if the Verderers have not yet themselves decided upon a suitable expression of loyalty and appreciation on this unique occasion, may we, the Burley Parish councillors, invite you to join us and add your name in what is surely a very appropriate New Forest offer of homage to Her Majesty.’
Cllr Clarke also said: ‘And right now we must face the awful reality of the effects of the four recent storms that have felled 126 trees around the village.’
Cllr Clarke, in his presentation, pointed out the council has a history of celebrating jubilees, and that the copse would be adjacent to trees planted for the Queen’s 1977 Silver Jubilee.
‘Planting commemorative trees has been a recorded Burley tradition for at least 125 years’, Cllr Clarke said.
‘And only once, apparently, has a single tree been planted on private land in the past, in commemoration of King George VI’s 1937 coronation.’
Councillor Phillip Daubeney, chair of the parish council, added: ‘The platinum jubilee is quite extraordinary so we wanted to do something special. It is also important to do our bit for the planet and planting more trees helps combat climate change.’
But, Cllr Clarke suggested he is not hopeful that the Verderers will grant them permission to plant 12 trees when they reconvene next week.
In a letter outlining their policy on celebratory trees, the Verderers said: ‘The Verderers receive many requests for trees, plaques, seats et cetera to be planted or placed on the Open Forest. It is the policy of the Verderers to almost always refuse consent.’
The Verderers said ‘the forest consists of a mosaic of habitats that is very rare and highly regarded in environmental terms’ and that it is key to ‘preserve grazing and vegetation on the open forest’.
A Verderers spokeswoman, speaking after the council’s first application was refused, said: ‘The Verderers felt they could not approve Burley’s request for 12 trees, especially as it is quite possible that if approved, a significant number of further similar requests could be received.
‘It would be unfair to agree to Burley and then turn down other parishes but to agree them all, could result in the loss of quite a few acres of grazing.’
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