Latest news: a technicality has meant a tree top protest against a new £87m relief road scheme in Dorset has continued despite a legal ruling.
The government has given the go-ahead for the Weymouth relief road and Dorset County Council secured a land possession order to evict protestors.
But the demonstration, which began last Thursday, was continuing on Friday and has delayed work at Two Mile Coppice.
Protestors have now occupied a tree branch overhanging neighbouring land.
In the morning, Dorset County Council served a compulsory purchase order on the land which meant the protestors were legally required to leave.
While the oak tree they are in is on land covered by the notice, the branch they occupy overhangs adjacent Woodland Trust land.
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Tat list – What we need
And latest update (Saturday 20th December):-
www.greenvoice.com – shortly to be a web space for us
PLEASE CIRCULATE
update– we have an address of sorts, and donations and xmas gifts would be great !”!!
Cash is ok to send as it is a secure post box, but phonecards for Orange are better than cash.
Also need AAA and AA batteries – Duracell and Energiser or alkaline ONLY.
Rope – Green or blue polypropelene – 6mm or 10mm thickness.
Rope – Static climbing line – 10mm or larger.
Rope – Dynamic climbing line – any thickness
Rope – arborist lines – we have 2 tree surgeons living with us and this rope is useful.
second hand rope is normally FREE from climbing centres -indoor centres often throw their ropes out every 6 -9 months – just call in and ask for it.
Tarps, plastic sheeting.
Tools – hammers, nails, saws, pruning saws, bill hooks.
2 way radios, nightvision goggles, catapults (to get rope up), grappling hooks. Head torches – LED are best.
The Woodland Trust still own the land that the road is being built on, but have waived their 14 days notice period and told Dorset County Council that it is ok to get on with cutting down the Ancient woodland – basically they have thrown in the towel without even standing up to argue or delay the destruction on their land. The fact that the Woodland Trust still own the land was recorded in the Court case of the 18th december 2008 of Dorset
County Council ‘ v ‘ Persons Unknown in Weymouth County Court. Her Majesty’s Land Registry in Plymouth also confirmed it.
The people of Weymouth brought Two Mile Copse through public subscription. Local people dug deeply into their pockets and put their money into conserving the land for perpeturity, for us and all future generations.
Dorset County Council have so far not given one penny in compensation, either to the Woodland Trust, nor local people who raised the public money to preserve the wood in the first place.
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More update:-
Hi Ho!, HO!, Ho!
Living up 6 trees at weymouth – Two Mile Copse / Teddy Bear Woods. I helped fight against
this road back in 1996, and 2004 and we won it then.
BUT now they gone and done it and cut 70% of the trees…..
We have a 400 year old Oak in Ancient Woodland that’s are protecting and 4 Ash trees reaching 90 feet up into the sky. Also a tall and healthy young elm.
We have a tree house, a net, lots of walkways in the sky and an off route visitors site on the ground.
GET HELP + MEDIA now if u can.
regards
2 Mile Copse Protest Camp
c/o Lorton Barn
Lorton Lane
LittleMoor
Weymouth
DT3 5QH
Sorry we currently are in the process of arranging a site mobile phone – number to follow
shortly
Links/more below & in previous story.
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Following from the Stop the Weymouth Relief Road bulletin. Apparently there is a chainsaw gang now operating 1.5 miles further North from Littlemoor, between Littlemoor and Ridgeway. There are 3 protesters down there but they need more back up. I have been in contact with the protesters occupying the sight at Littlemoor. They are in urgent need of more support from locals to help on the ground and others to help build tree houses along the route, all help would be greatly appreciated.
On site mobiles are 07792717821 / 07807952822
COUNCIL chiefs will go to court tomorrow in a bid to remove a growing number of protesters from the route of Weymouth’s planned relief road.
It comes as the stand-off intensified in Two Mile Coppice as eco-warriors began moving a fence and telling security staff it encroached too far into the ancient woodland.
But today Dorset County Council is hoping to be granted possession of the land by Weymouth County Court.
The council is asking the court to rule that the protesters must leave the property, and if they agree to that request, when they must leave.
The number of protesters reached seven as a camp was set up beneath an oak tree that stands alone in the fenced off area of the woods.
Four protesters set up camp and roped off their own area below three more based up inside the tree.
One new arrival, known only as Andy, said: “We are here to stop the road as there are many reasons why the woodland should not be chopped down.
“The oak tree we are in and beneath is hundreds of years old.
“We heard about the people here and wanted to come to support the action.
“We can help provide food and whatever else they need in the tree.
“If you let the council go ahead with the road it won’t be long before they want to chop more of this beautiful woodland down for development.
“The road won’t actually help prevent traffic congestion in the end anyway.”
A council spokesman confirmed clearance work is continuing in the western edge strip of Two Mile Coppice and said it is hoped this will be finished before Christmas.
She said: “There is a county court hearing today where the county council will be asking for an order for the trespassers to hand over the land to the possession of the council.”
Nick Pepper, 41, has camped in the woods since he came down from a tree which has now been chopped down.
Mr Pepper, who previously lived in Weymouth but now lives in Bristol, said: “As soon as we received the legal papers to evict the tree we thought we’d better have a legally legitimate support camp.
“We are protected under the 1977 Criminal Law Act which stops us from being legally evicted or illegally assaulted.
“We’ve actually squatted in an area of land so we can protect the people up the tree from intimidation or illegal activity.
“There needs to be open access so we can monitor what’s going on.”