HAGBOURNE COPSE
by Owl
During our Poster awareness campaign about strategic housing, we were contacted about a woodland named Hagbourne Copse, located by junction 16 of the M4.
This protected woodland had been progressively destroyed by industrial development over the last ten years to make Euroway industrial estate until only 5.14 acres of the woodland remained.
This last surviving segment of Hagbourne Copse ( One of the oldest woodlands left in Swindon ) was then put up for sale to the highest bidder.
The agents concerned 'Loveday' ( Who have a huge interest in industrial and strategic housing development.) were keeping the Landowners name withheld from public view, but after a bit of research we found out the land had and was in possession of,three solicitors in London.
Wiltshire Wildlife Trust made a bid to turn this Copse into a nature reserve, this bid was rejected.
The value of the woodland was huge to industrial developers as a nearby farm was aggressively brought ten years ago for £50,000 pounds, then later sold on to industrial development for £8,000,000 pounds which has now become known as Windmill hill Trading estate.
On arrival to this woodland we found it had already been surrounded by factory units, Drainage inside the woodland had been left blocked up with litter and rotting mass, which had raised the water table to three feet below the surface at the height of summer.
This was causing irreparable damage too the 60ft and Ash trees concerned.
All but one of the Silver Birch trees had died which had rotted from t he roots upwards, most of the Blackthorn was dying and the Hazel trees were growing at an angle of about 30 degrees. In respect to these above matters we decided on direct action to protect this woodlands future.
We gained legal occupation under section 6 of the Criminal Law act 1977 and sent a recorded notice to the agents concerned. A clean active protest camp was set up with work being focused on restoring the previous drainage system and on the trees with the advice from an independent tree surgeon.