A petition to save a 550-year-old tree has been presented to Parliament by Shrewsbury’s new MP Julia Buckley.
Well over 100,000 people signed the petition in support of protecting the so-called Darwin Oak which is in danger of being felled if the existing plan for Shrewsbury’s North West Relief Road goes ahead in its present form.
Local environmentalist Rob McBride, who has spearheaded the campaign, said people from 132 countries had signed the petition. He is demanding proper legal protection for what he calls “incredible heritage trees”.
Started last year, the petition now has 108,137 signatures, more than the 100,000 required to trigger a parliamentary debate.
The document was handed in to 10 Downing Street by campaigners this week and presented to Parliament by Mrs Buckley on Tuesday evening.
“It was a pleasure to join the Save the Darwin Oak campaign as they delivered their petition,” said Mrs Buckley. “They have asked Shropshire Council to spare the felling of this 550-year-old tree.”
The tree at the centre of the campaign is situated just off The Mount in Shrewsbury where the world-famous naturalist Charles Darwin was born in 1809.
In the petition, campaigners say “the loss of large-canopy open-grown trees like the Darwin Oak would amount to a significant loss of biodiversity and carbon sequestration capability” and that the felling of such trees “goes against the Government’s National Planning Policy Framework”.
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