Bracknell: Tree felling in Beaufort Park 'total devastation'

Those living in The Evergreens, Crowthorne, have expressed concerns over tree felling taking place by developers of the next-door Beaufort Park.

Beaufort Park will provide 226 homes and is being spearheaded by The Hill Group and Southern Homes, while the Evergreens is run by Taylor Wimpey.

The Hill Group says it has 'worked closely' with Bracknell Forest Council over the plans, which were approved in March 2024 after first being rejected in 2022.

Georgina Cusack told the Local Democracy Reporting Service said they were experiencing 'total devastation of the forest' with the Hill group 'taking every tree in their path'.

Before and after pictures show the scale of tree felling (Image: LDRS) Ms Cusack further criticised Taylor Wimpey, which she said promised woodland views for residents of The Evergreens upon advertisement of their homes.

Max Ranger said 'acres' of land are being felled, with residents hearing 'chainsaws' and the developers 'ploughing on'.

Taylor Wimpey informed residents on April 4: "We are aware of the activity that has taken place this week and we want to be clear that this tree removal was carried out by a third party without our knowledge, approval, or consent.

"Upon learning of this situation, our team and our arboriculturalists immediately conducted a site visit to meet with the workers carrying out the tree removals, where we requested that tree felling operations ceased immediately.

"Those requests were unfortunately ignored."

It's part of the Beaufort Park development (Image: Southern Homes Ownership) The developer added it has engaged with external lawyers to deal with the matter and has contacted Bracknell Forest Council.

A Taylor Wimpey spokesperson has since told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: "We are aware of the tree felling on the neighbouring land to our Evergreens development, and we are working closely with The Hill Group and Bracknell Forest Council to address this appropriately.

"We remain committed to transparent communication and we are providing regular updates to residents."

The Evergreens sits next door to the emerging Beaufort Park development (Image: Taylor Wimpey) A spokesperson from the Hill Group said: "The site has undergone an extensive planning process, resulting in the approval of the project. Throughout this time, The Hill Group has worked closely with local authority planners and independent arboriculturalists to ensure that tree removal is carefully managed throughout.

"Tree felling on our first phase is now complete and we expect further felling to commence later this year on our second phase.

"We are excited to move forward with the development of 226 much-needed high quality sustainable homes, of which 50% will be affordable, contributing positively to the local community."

The Hill Group did not disclose the number of trees that are being cut down.