Previous campaigns

July 2020

How to oppose Marlhill’s WMP

  1. Comment at: https://www.southamptonairport.com/about-us/aerodrome-safeguarding/marlhill-copse/marlhill-copse-feedback-form/ [closing date 19th July]. It would be helpful if you could send us a copy of your comments so we can keep a tally. Good idea to take a screenshot - the airport does not seem to send an acknowledgement.

  2. Suggested Headline comment: “The tall trees at Marlhill Copse stop airport expansion. Keep these trees tall.”

  3. The full plan is at: https://www.southamptonairport.com/media/nwwbm4br/marlhill-woodland-management-plan-june-2020-for-consultation.pdf.

  4. Write to Southampton City Council asking that:

    1. The WMP is discussed and voted on by Councillors – don’t let a few Council officials rubber stamp the airport’s PR consultation.

    2. A City-wide detailed policy on valuing trees is developed that addresses the inadequacy of Tree Preservation Orders. This should be debated by full Council and incorporated into all planning & development policies and the Local Plan. [draft: https://bit.ly/3iGYDnE]

Who to email

If you live in Southampton, write to your City Councillors:

https://www.southampton.gov.uk/whereilive/addresslookup.aspx) as well as the Cabinet Member for Green City & Place - Councillor Steve Leggett (Councillor.S.Leggett@southampton.gov.uk) and copy to trees@southampton.gov.uk

If you live outside Southampton email Cabinet Member for Green City & Place Councillor Steve Leggett (Councillor.S.Leggett@southampton.gov.uk) and copy to trees@southampton.gov.uk

Key points to consider including in your email:

  1. The plan talks about crown height reduction for increasing biodiversity but crown height reduction will damage biodiversity by removing established habitat

  2. Part of the special character of the woodland are the tall pine stands along the South and East edges. Removing these will significantly damage the special character and damage habitat.

  3. Crown height reduction and the removal of tall trees serves only 1 purpose - the clearance of trees to allow heavier planes with a lower take off angle.

  4. Fungal growth, cracks, splits, cavities are all part of a natural, rich habitat and their removal is highly damaging.

  5. People accept that branches and trees fall in the city’s woodlands from time to time so there is no need to single out Marlhill Copse for special treatment in this respect.

  6. The Council must develop a city-wide detailed policy on valuing trees that addresses the inadequacy of Tree Preservation Orders. This should be debated by full Council and incorporated into all planning & development policies and the Local Plan. [draft: https://bit.ly/3iGYDnE]

Suggested email

Dear Councillor,

You should be aware that in the introduction to the Marlhill Copse Woodland Management Plan (WMP) Southampton airport acknowledges that it bought Marlhill Copse in order to reduce the height of trees there to facilitate aircraft operations.

The airport has succeeded in getting permission to fell three of the highest trees on the grounds of health & safety. However it now needs to find other ways to reduce tree height in order to prepare for the expansion of the airport, which will need the heavier and more-laden planes that these tall trees would present an obstacle to.

Regardless of any fringe benefits that the WMP might be regarded as having, the central issue here is that the WMP is necessary to the expansion of the airport; the two are inextricably linked.

I therefore call upon you to respect the Council policy opposing the expansion of Southampton airport by also opposing this WMP.

In viewing the recent PROW meeting that approved the felling of 3 large Monterey pines at Marlhill, I was disturbed to realise that many other trees in Southampton of similar vintage may be endangered because their liability is viewed as more important than their benefits. I therefore ask you to ensure detailed plans are made by which the joint UoS and SCC study ‘Understanding the Value of Southampton’s Urban Trees’ (2017) can be incorporated into the City’s planning & development policies including its Local Plan.

The very special nature of Marlhill Copse is that it is a wild, unruly, unmaintained area - perhaps unique in an urban context. The City Council should therefore have in place a Landscape Character Assessment up against which to evaluate the airport's intentions: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/landscape-and-seascape-character-assessments

Finally, I would be pleased if you could ensure that the WMP is fully considered and debated in public by Councillors rather than just rubber-stamped by officers.

I look forward to your thoughts on these matters.

Kind regards,