A right of way broke due to the destruction of trees in Nunthorpe during the bird nesting season.
Sam, a local resident, accused the Nunthorpe and Marton Playing Fields Association (NMPFA) of cutting hedges containing nests. However, James Hayton, chairman of the NMPFA on Guisborough Road, said that was not the case and precautions had been taken to ensure the nests were not destroyed.
Sam, 53, was made aware of the tree felling via a Facebook post. She said: “They didn’t just prune them, they completely erased them. There are no more branches.
“I have no problem with them cutting down the hedge, but not at this time of year. This is right in the middle of bird breeding season.
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Sam said birds love to nest in hedgerows because they are so dense. Although she admitted she had no hard evidence, she said there was “no way the birds were nesting” in the trees.
The Nunthorpe resident said the 20ft high hedge was planted 44 years ago as she knows someone who remembered her father planting it. Sam added: “I was extremely upset. It’s too late, whatever nests there were, they didn’t care. I just can’t believe they did when they did.
She added: “To me, as someone who loves nature and wildlife, you have just committed the greatest crime you can commit for me. I don’t want anything to do with them anymore. My partner does not renew his membership after 50 years.
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However, Mr Hayton said the issue had been discussed by local residents. He added: ‘We fully understand the concerns of residents and every effort has been made to ensure that no trees with nesting birds have been impacted.
“To date, no active nests have been discovered in any of the work we have carried out. All decisions like these are discussed, deliberated, and any results voted on by a board of directors made up of local residents.
The NMPFA is currently one of two groups vying for their site to be the location of the new Nunthorpe Community Centre. However, this is against Nunthorpe Parish Council, Community Council and the Institute who all want the new center to be next to the GP’s practice on Stokesley Road.
A decision is expected soon on which site will receive more than £900,000 in public funds for the venture.
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