A prominent Somerset councillor has urged the government to step in and save an ancient oak tree which could be felled as part of a multi-million-pound dualling scheme.

National Highways is currently working to implement a £140M scheme to dual the A303 between the Podimore and Sparkford roundabouts, after the Department for Transport gave the green light in January 2021 after several delays.

Protesters have occupied the land around what has been dubbed ‘the Queen Camel oak’ since July 21, in a bid to prevent the tree from being cut down to make room for a slip road to the nearby Hazlegrove Prep School.

Councillor Sarah Dyke – who hopes to be the next MP for Somerton and Frome – has now weighed in, describing the planned felling of the tree as “vandalism” and calling on the government and National Highways to change the plans for the road.

Ms Dyke currently sits as portfolio holder for the environment and climate change on both Somerset County Council and South Somerset District Council.

She was also selected in May to be the Liberal Democrats’ prospective parliamentary candidate for the Somerton and Frome constituency, in the event of a by-election being called following investigations in the current MP, David Warburton.

She said: “The decision by the secretary of state to fell this magnificent veteran oak tree shows blatant disregard for nature and biodiversity by the national Conservative government.

“I am outraged the destruction of this large and vigorous 400 to 500-year-old oak tree is to make way for a slip road that could easily be redirected.

“Its removal would be pure vandalism of our environment.”

Mr Warburton won the seat from the Lib Dems in 2015, but lost the Conservative whip in April after allegations of sexual harassment against three women.

Mr Warburton remains under investigation by the Independent Parliamentary Standards Commissioner, and as of early-July remains in a psychiatric hospital – though his constituency office near Sparkford remains operational.

Ms Dyke said she would be pushing the DfT to agree a revised plans for the scheme which would see the slip road relocated and allow the tree to be properly preserved – something National Highways had said was not achievable during the lengthy planning process.

She said: “We still have a chance to save this wonderful oak tree and allow it to live for another 300 years.

“I urge the secretary of state to review his decision and to do the right thing by stopping the felling and looking to mitigation measures instead.

“We are living through an ecological emergency. Nature and biodiversity in the UK is in serious trouble and we must do all we can to protect it.

“I will always fight to protect our environment and biodiversity.”

More than £2,600 has been raised through crowdfunding for the protests, while an online petition to protect the tree has attracted more than 3,000 signatures.

A major protest event is planned to be held on Sunday (July 31) at 11:30am, with live music, talks, tree climbing and training being planned to raise awareness.

 

Protester Simon Be posted on Twitter on Wednesday (July 27): “Our lives are entwined with nature and unless we draw a line in the sand and say ‘enough;, then it’s all up for us as well as nature.

“Sometime soon we will look around at the devastation we’ve enabled and wonder where the oaks have gone – wonder why we didn’t act sooner.”

To sign the petition to save the Queen Camel oak, visit www.change.org/p/save-the-queen-camel-oak-from-the-303, or to donate to the campaign visit www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/queen-camel-oak-fighting-funds.