King George's trees facing chop
Trees planted by King George VI in the Black Country are under threat from a possible housing development.
Residents are up in arms at the prospect of losing coppice land off Yewtree Lane, Rowley Regis, which boasts the trees and a host of wildlife.
King George VI, then the Duke of York, helped plant the row of trees in 1925 during a visit to the town.
The land was formerly owned by manufacturer TW Lench Ltd but is now in the hands of developers MarCity.
A protest was held yesterday to raise awareness of the plot of land which is home to foxes, badgers, newts, owls and other birds.
Campaigner David Cousins of Yewtree Lane said people were worried that homes would be built on the land resulting in the loss of vital green space.
"It's another green space that could be lost to housing," he said.
"A petition of a couple of hundred signatures has been given to the council and we are waiting to hear back. We just don't want to see it bulldozed and would like to see our heritage preserved for future generations."
Mr Cousins said workers moved in to start clearing the site last week but residents spoke to them about preservation orders on the trees planted by the Duke of York.
The land was originally bought by Thomas Lench in the early 1920s near to his company's factory.
Mr Cousins said the Duke and Duchess of York visited the factory in 1925 and planted 27 trees which then had preservation orders put on them.
"In the 1980s with industry slimming, the canteen was demolished and some homes were build around it," explained Mr Cousins.
"The coppice has laid dormant for the 20 years.
"In the early part of this decade Sandwell Council recognised it as a site of interest for local conservation."
Lench relocated to a new site two years ago but has since gone into liquidation. MarCity was today unavailable for comment.
By Richard Wyatt
