Tears after Churchill memorial tree cut down

Campaigners have lost their fight to prevent the felling of a tree planted to commemorate the death of wartime Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill.

The oak, planted in memory of the famous politician, was removed on Friday to create an entrance to a new housing development in Cossington in Leicestershire.

Villagers said they were devastated to see the tree, planted in 1967, cut down.

Developer Bellway said there was no alternative access to their 130-home development off Main Street.

"I can't bear to even see the site [of the tree]," said Penny Weston-Webb, 86, who was at the planting ceremony.

Weston-Webb, who cried after the tree was removed on Friday, said villagers had hoped to persuade the developer to spare the tree and find an alternative route into the estate.

"We have done everything to try to keep it.

"It's such a shame to have lost a part of our village's history.

"I am devastated, I really am," she said.

Villagers have been lobbying councils to save the tree since planning permission for the homes was approved in 2022.

Emma Crowe, clerk of Cossington Parish Council, said: "We are all very saddened.

"The tree was a highlight in the village."

Crowe said the tree's trunk had been salvaged and there were plans to sculpt it in a theme connected to Churchill with the resulting work of art then displayed somewhere in the village.

Villager Ian Bott, who was 10 when the tree was planted by then parish council chairman Jack Meadows, said he went down to watch the tree being removed.

"It was not a good day for me and it is a very sad time," he said.

A sapling has already been grown from one of the specimen's acorns and is to be planted nearby.

A spokesperson for the developer said: "Bellway is due to start work on a new development of 130 homes in Cossington in the coming weeks.

"The land was purchased with outline planning permission in place which required the removal of the oak tree at the entrance to the site, with the consent of Leicestershire County Council's highways department.

"There was no alternative access point.

"Bellway has liaised with the parish council since purchasing the land and progressing through the final stages of planning.

"Following this, Bellway agreed to hand over the remains of the tree to the parish with the intention for a sculpture to be created.

"In addition, Bellway will plant a number of new trees on site as part of the landscaping plan for the development."

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