A NEW action group says plans to plant more than 166,000 trees on farmland near Stourhead House will block views to a picturesque beauty spot spread over four counties.

They claim the scheme by the Stourhead (Western) Estate run by Nick and Lucy Hoare will blight views of the Cranborne Chase Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty if it is allowed to go ahead.

The Cranborne Chase AONB covers 380 square miles of beautiful countryside overlapping Dorset, Wiltshire, Hampshire and Somerset.

The protestors have formed a new local action group, “Save Bonham Farmland”, to appeal the Forestry Commission’s approval for a huge new conifer plantation over the farmland to the south and west of Stourhead.

South West Farmer: Some 40,000 trees have already been planted on the Bonham farmland owned by the Stourhead (Western) Estate. Some 40,000 trees have already been planted on the Bonham farmland owned by the Stourhead (Western) Estate. (Image: Save Bonham Farmland Action Group)

They claim the huge plantation will comprise 134,000 non-native conifers, planted over 200 acres of Grade 2 best and most versatile agricultural land.

The rest will comprise 82,500 Douglas Fir, 33,400 Red Cedar, 9,750 Norway Spruce, 8,300 Red Sequoia, 2,250 Native Conifers, and 22,700 Native Broadleaf trees.

But the protestors say the trees will eventually block the Cranborne Chase AONB open landscape across the Kilmington Greensands Terrace.

They say the proposal, which has been approved, is contrary to the Forestry Commission’s own principle of ‘right tree, right place, right reason’.

South West Farmer: An aerial shot of the farmland where the trees will be planted. An aerial shot of the farmland where the trees will be planted. (Image: Save Bonham Farmland Action Group)

Cllr Bridget Wayman, who is leading the group, said: “The approval has been granted without an Environmental Impact Assessment.

“Indeed, the whole process has been conducted with disregard to local views, its impact on the local community and with a lack of sound analysis and verification."

The action group has written to the Forestry Commission asking it to review its approval and to conduct an Environmental Impact Assessment as a bare minimum.

Cllr Wayman said: “This significant and critical step would provide the right verifiable analysis of the implications for the local environment and provide the basis for an acceptable scheme to be put forward.

“They have not had the opportunity to express their views on the ramifications of the plantation through a proper public consultation process.

“In a scheme of this size and scale, The Forestry Commission should listen to, and understand, local views as part of their approval process.

“In direct contrast to their slogan ‘Right Tree, Right Place...’ its behaviour, instead, brings us the opposite. This is the wrong tree, wrong place and there has been a failure of process throughout.

“The Forestry Commission must press the pause button, conduct a proper environmental assessment and consult with the local community so that a suitably considered scheme, which benefits both the environment (in an area which is deemed ‘sensitive’ under EIA regulations) and the community, can be put forward."

South West Farmer: An erial shot of the farmland where the trees will be planted. An erial shot of the farmland where the trees will be planted. (Image: Save Bonham Farmland Action Group)

Richard Burden, Principal Landscape and Planning Officer, CCAONB, said they had lodged objections to the project, on the grounds of the Forestry Commission’s lack of correct process and flawed due diligence.

“The Forestry Commission disregarding the fundamental need for a Landscape Impact Assessment has led to this classic case of wrong tree, wrong place, wrong reason.”

Dr Andrew Murrison, the MP for South West Wiltshire said: “It isn’t clear why an EIA was not carried out in this case.

“The Forestry Commission would have saved itself a great deal of trouble had it required one and I have written to them and the Secretary of State accordingly.”

Nick Hoare, a director of Stourhead (Western) Estate, said they had already planted around 40,000 trees and added: “They have left it rather late, as it is past the last date when they could have launched a judicial review.

“The main person who is making a fuss about is the guy with a big house in the middle of it. He is very happy to take to judicial review. If there was anything wrong with the Forestry Commission’s process he could have, and would have, taken it to a judicial review.

“The fact that he didn’t tells me that his lawyers said to him that he had no chance of success. What is going on now is more like sour grapes.

“We have signed a contract with the Forestry Commission to plant the trees, with the cost covered by a generous grant.”

Retired company director Erik Ruane, 63, owns the 16th century Grade II listed Bonham Manor that sits on land affected by the new tree plantation. He is not a member of the action group.

Currently, the Stourhead (Western) Estate produces about 3,000 cubic metres of conifer timber a year, and 600 of broadleaved. The Hoare family has planted more than 600 hectares of woodland on the 1,200-hectare estate.

The Forestry Commission has been approached for comment.