Jean Harris, 79, is refusing to sell a patch of her garden to developers behind a £45 million bypass – to protect a 500-year-old oak tree that stood as a sapling when Henry VIII courted Anne Boleyn.
The retired school secretary and piano teacher, a widow who lives in the Allensmore area of Hereford, said the ancient oak is in perfect condition and a local landmark. “It’s very old, about 500 years or so, and in perfect condition. Why would you want to ruin that?” she told reporters. “You can see it from the roads and it is definitely a landmark for us around here.”
“A 79-year-old widow refuses to sell her garden to protect a 500-year-old oak from the £45m Hereford bypass.”
The proposed two-mile Southern Link Road – given the green light in 2015 – would reroute the A49 around Hereford to ease congestion. A council spokesperson said most affected landowners have agreed terms or are close to an agreement, and that in one case discussions were paused. But Jean claims planning rules have tightened since approval, and that a 60mph road at the bottom of her garden is the wrong solution.
“It’s been called the Southern Link road, but it doesn’t do anything to alleviate heavy traffic in Hereford,” she said. “All I will hear 24 hours a day is road noise. It’ll be an absolute nightmare. Lorries or big vehicles will create lots of loud noises, and the vibration will be horrible.”
She fears the loss of the oak would be catastrophic for wildlife. “We get lots of bats and owls, there’s lots of wildlife around here. It’s a key area for all wildlife and to lose it would be catastrophic.”
Jean bought the three-bedroom bungalow in 2003 for £175,000 – now valued at £575,000 – and says the planned embankment would leave the road “effectively right next to the house”, making the property unsellable. “I have no plans to sell up, and it’s just as well because who would want to buy a property right next to a busy bypass?”
The section of land needed from her garden has been valued at more than £58,000, but Jean said she has flatly refused to enter negotiations with Herefordshire Council. The fight became more personal after the recent death of her husband, Michael, with whom she shared the home. The council said it is prepared to press ahead, even if it means forcing her to give up the land through a compulsory purchase.