Widow refuses to sell garden to protect 500-year-old tree from £45million bypass

An elderly widow is refusing to sell a patch of her garden to developers behind a £45million road scheme in a bid to protect a 500-year-old oak tree.

Jean Harris, 79, is battling plans for a new link road that would slice through two-thirds of an acre plot in the Herefordshire village of Allensmore.

The retired school secretary and piano teacher claims the council-backed project would bring a 60mph road just yards from her bungalow and wipe out vital wildlife habitats.

Jean said: ‘It’s one seventh of my garden that they want to take, which means this road will come close to my property.

‘All I will hear 24 hours a day is road noise. It’ll be an absolute nightmare.
It’s going to be so close to my home, the road is going to come through the fields, and so close to the property.’

‘Lorries or big vehicles will create lots of loud noises, and the vibration will be horrible. It will be horrendous. There will be an embankment of the road where the end of the garden would be, so it’d effectively be right next to the house,’ she said.

Jean, who has two grown-up children and three grandchildren, also says the proposed 3km-long Southern Link Road would do little to ease congestion in Hereford despite costing £45million.

She said: ‘It’s been called the Southern Link road, but it doesn’t do anything to alleviate heavy traffic in Hereford. I feel that it should not be built as a standalone scheme.

‘The planning permission for this Southern Link road dates back to 2015. Since then, assessments of environmental harm have been tightened. If this road does go ahead, it may not comply with the environmental harm rules.’

Her biggest concern is the impact on wildlife and an ancient oak tree which grows on a neighbouring farmer’s field, which she describes as a local landmark.

Jean said: ‘We get lots of bats and owls, there’s lots of wildlife around here. It’s a key area for all wildlife, and to lose it would be catastrophic.

‘Then there’s the oak tree. It’s very old, about 500 years or so, and in perfect condition. Why would you want to ruin that? You can see it from the roads and it is definitely a landmark for us around here.’

Jean moved into the three-bed bungalow in 2003, and its current value is around £575,000, but she fears the bypass will make her home unsellable.

She said: ‘I did have the house recently valued, but it will certainly depreciate. I am quite concerned about that. We bought it 23 years ago for £175,000. I had my eye on it for a long time before we bought it; it was our dream home. The family all love it.

‘I have no plans to sell up, and it’s just as well because who would want to buy a property right next to a busy bypass?’

Jean says she has flatly refused to discuss selling any of her land and has not entered negotiations with Herefordshire Council.

The fight has become even more personal after the recent death of her husband, Michael.

Rough estimates value the 385 square metre section of land required from Jean’s garden at more than £58,000. But she remains determined to stand her ground.

Herefordshire Council chiefs say they are prepared to press ahead, even if it means forcing Jean to give up the land through a compulsory purchase.

A spokesperson said: ‘Most landowners have either agreed terms for the sale of their land or are close to reaching an agreement.

‘In one case, discussions were paused by agreement to allow the landowner additional time, and we remain committed to working constructively to reach a voluntary agreement. Alongside these discussions, the council has begun the compulsory purchase process where required.

‘This is a normal part of delivering major infrastructure projects and ensures the land needed for the scheme can be secured if voluntary agreements cannot be reached.’

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