South London residents have been left "devastated" and "in tears" after more than 100 trees in a local field were cut down.
Police were called to a field beside Cator Park in Beckenham last Saturday, June 10, after receiving reports from residents in the morning that a number of trees in the area had been chopped down.
A spokesperson for the Friends of Cator Park group told the Local Democracy Reporting Service that a man allegedly cut down over 130 trees in the field using chainsaws, despite being warned previously by the police.
Local resident Graham Mann, 58, said that other locals became aware of the incident from their local WhatsApp group.
Mr Mann said: “To our disbelief, we could hear the chainsaws soaring away at the trees. They had two security guards and the gates to the field were locked.”
Mr Mann said locals only saw the scale of the tree culling once a drone was sent up to survey the area.
He said police had cautioned the individual carrying out the work after being called, but had to return when the felling resumed shortly afterwards.
He said: “It wasn’t until the police had come and arrested him that we were able to gain access to the park, and then we could see the devastation.”
Andrew Coleman, 67, said he has lived in the Penge area for 30 years.
He said he first became aware of the incident when his wife brought the dog to the space for a walk on Saturday morning, but found the gate to the area padlocked with two men guarding the outside of it.
Mr Coleman told the LDRS: “We all meet up as dog walkers and we let our dogs off the lead in there, which you can’t really do in the park sometimes because there’s too many kids.”
He added: “My wife was horrified. We’ve always brought the dogs there. And it’s always distressing to know that somebody is just chopping down trees. It’s not a nice feeling.”
A Friends of Cator Park spokesperson told the LDRS that the space had been regularly used by local residents to walk their dogs for the past 15 years.
They said that a tree preservation order was put in place by Bromley Council last week, protecting all trees in the space for six months.
They said the space had developed a number of natural oak trees in the past 20 years, while also being home to several bats and birds such as kingfishers and woodpeckers.
Labour Councillor Kathy Bance, representing the Penge and Cator ward for Bromley Council, told the LDRS that Cator Park is hugely important to the Penge area given its suburban setting. She said the park is regularly used by dog walkers and those admiring the park’s bats.
She said: “I’ve seen residents in tears because of the devastation that’s been caused.
"This really is probably one of the nicest parks in the whole of our area in Penge and it’s of huge environmental value to us.”
Anna Taylor, director of CPRE London, said it could take decades to replace the number of trees that had been cut down, which was over 130 on the last count.
She said it is possible that more stumps will be found buried in the canopies of other trees in the coming days.
Ms Taylor told the LDRS: “This is a really precious area to the community. It’s sort of almost a nature reserve. It doesn’t have official nature reserve status, but this is a naturally seeded oak woodland, which is a really rare environment in London.”
Government documents show that the land beside Cator Park that was affected has been privately owned since 2013.
It was sold to Hopeson Group Limited, a Singapore based company, for £10,000.
Ms Taylor said: “It’s absolutely horrifying, and obviously it’s essential that we replant this site and recreate this woodland, but it won’t be an overnight solution.
"It’s also really important that we secure the future of this site so that this can’t happen again. The current landowner bought the land for just £10,000 in 2013.
"Something has to be done to make sure that speculation that it could be released for development doesn’t continue.”
A Metropolitan Police spokesperson told the LDRS that police were called to Cator Park on the morning of June 10.
They said the dispute related to the felling of trees that were alleged to be under a protective order.
They said: “Officers responded and spoke to a man, aged in his 30s, advising work to cease.
"Officers returned after they were informed that the felling had continued. One man was arrested on suspicion of criminal damage and taken into custody. He was later released on bail. A number of items of tree felling equipment were seized.”
A Bromley Council spokesperson told the LDRS: “We are aware of this very sad incident, which can only be described as environmental destruction, where 131 protected trees have been destroyed.
"This was a thriving young woodland that was valued by many locally and we are now investigating what has happened here.”
They added: “This is a serious matter, with anyone who is found guilty of committing an offence which contravenes Section 210 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 being fined up to £20,000 at a Magistrates Court or an unlimited fine at Crown Court.
"We are grateful to local residents who have already come forward to help with that investigation, which is at its early stages.”
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Pictures 1-3: The tree stumps and fallen foliage in the dog walking field beside the Cator Park. Permission for use by all LDRS. Credit: Joe Coughlan
Picture 4: Graham Mann, 58, said the area had been \’devastated\’ by the incident. Permission for use by all LDRS. Credit: Joe Coughlan
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