Cambridgeshire mum to leave family to 'fend for themselves' while she spends Christmas Day up a tree

A mum is leaving her family "to fend for themselves" on Christmas Day so she can sit in a 100-year-old chestnut tree under threat of being felled.

Hazel Harwin plans to stage her protest during daylight hours when she hopes families heading out for their festive walk will spot her and offer her support.

She wants to convince developers to abandon their plans for a wider footpath and cycleway as part of access to a 130-home estate on Barker's Lane in March, Cambridgeshire.

A number of trees - including some with tree preservation orders (TPO) - on the edge of the Neale Wade Academy site would need to be cut back or removed which Mrs Harwin said would destroy not only the character of the area but also important wildlife habitats.

"It's a very beautiful area," she said. "We get ramblers, walkers, it's full of wildlife. There's owls, birds, deer, two foxes every night wandering in and out of the bushes.

"It's going to destroy their habitat if this is all removed."

On Christmas Day, Mrs Harwin's husband is due to set up a ladder to allow her to climb into the chestnut tree that her children used to climb when they were young.

"I think it's well worth it," she said. "The family are fully supportive. They're not happy about me climbing the tree in case I fall out of it - but they're supportive of why I'm doing it.

"I'll come down eventually and cook them something to eat."

An application has been lodged with Fenland District Council for outline planning permission for 130 homes on 6.7 hectares of agricultural land.

The site would rely on Barker's Lane for vehicular access - something Mrs Harwin believes is unnecessary since an alternative entry point is available.

The council has yet to decide whether to grant permission but a report by officers recommends it for approval, despite acknowledging "localised and inevitable" harm to the landscape.

"The character of Barker’s Lane will change through the amendments to this road to accommodate vehicular access to and from the application site, and through the introduction of a dedicated three-metre wide footway/ cycleway," it said.

"While this will, to a degree ... partially erode the rural character of this part of Barker’s Lane through both an intensified use for motor vehicles and the general appearance to this lane, the approved [Broad Concept Plan] does broadly identify this infrastructure improvement to support the wider site allocation."

TPOs are put in place by local authorities to prevent trees being cut down, up-rooted, lopped or damaged with written consent from planners.

But the orders can be revoked by a council for a number of reasons including for development which is deemed beneficial to the wider area.

Mrs Harwin hopes her protest, together with an online petition signed by more than 600 people, will help to convince both the planners and developers that the plans do not meet that criteria.

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