Dismay as Carlisle woodland felled, sparking wildlife concerns

A significant section of the woodland on Etterby Road has been recently felled. The land had previously been sold to an unknown buyer via estate agent Hayward Tod.

There are no planning applications on the land but the removal of trees - which residents said once were the home of owls and offered hiding spots for deer and protection for otters by the river - could mean that there are plans for development on the land.

Subscribe to the News & Star today and get the latest news, sports, and entertainment delivered straight to your device.

On a now inactive listing, the agents described the land as a 'superbly located development opportunity' that was 'potentially suitable for a small scale residential development'.

The description continued: "A block of mostly level land set high above the banks of the River Eden to the north of the city.

Felled trees on the land on Etterby Road (Image: Ollie Rawlinson)"Measuring approximately 1.3 acres currently split into three paddocks, including an area of woodland.

"The site is flanked by the river on one side, the road on the other and has the railway and neighbouring Eden Bank House at either end.

"Rarely do opportunities of this nature present themselves to the market as prime development land becomes more scarce."

Cumberland Councillor Helen Davison represents the area and shared her dismay.

She said she was alerted on September 30 by a resident about it - she then contacted the council's tree preservation officer to see if there was a tree protection order (TPO) active.

The officer attended with a Forestry Commission delegate, because a licence is required to fell trees of or over a certain size.

One of the trees felled was reportedly an old, large maple tree.

A TPO has been established for the land temporarily, meaning it's illegal to fell any more trees or bushes, and a public consultation is active to determine if this should be made permanent.

TPO notices on the land's access gate (Image: Ollie Rawlinson)

Cllr Davison said the area is a site of special scientific interest (SSSI) and further up the road there's a risk of the river bank collapsing near the traffic lights, which any further felling could affect, she said.

"When I went down I was shocked at what had been done - the area that had been woodland was basically levelled - it's having quite a significant impact on the amenity of the area.

Etterby Road, roughly the same area of the main photo, in 2021, showing the woodland that has now been cut down. (Image: Google) "My bigger concern is the impact on the wildlife, and the plant species that were there," Cllr Davison said, adding that snowdrops were seasonally present by the maple tree.

"At the moment the council has done what it can. There were no planning applications on the site, otherwise all that stuff would have been looked at, so that's where we're at, and the TPO has to go through a process where it's open for consultation which is an opportunity for the landowner to object to it.

Cllr Helen Davison (Image: Supplied)

"I've received comments from various residents who were really upset about what happened. That habitat has been there for a long time and people are concerned about the impact it will have on the wildlife. I just think it's so sad that people come in and do that damage.

Levelled land on Etterby Road (Image: Ollie Rawlinson)

"I would like to see laws tightened up on this so that people can't just come in and destroy an area of natural habitat."

All residents on Etterby Road the News & Star spoke to chose not to be named.

One said she's lived there for over four decades and remembered there being a large tree with snowdrops, and that she was devastated at the destruction of wildlife in her neighbourhood.

Another said: "They started about four to six months ago. One weekend, we were away from home and we came back and the majority of the trees had all been felled.

READ NEXT: Man suffered fractured eye socket in unprovoked attack

"We got onto the council about it, they brought the Forestry Commission in. A few weeks ago, again, we were away for the weekend, this machine's been and literally ripped all the trees and everything else out."

They continued: "It's awful to see the wanton destruction, and the way it's been done is the worst thing."