Railway tree cutting leaves “green desert” in Derbyshire valley, says alpaca farm owner
The owner of a Derbyshire alpaca farm says the clearing of over six metres of lush greenery either side of a three-mile stretch of railway sidings will leave its valley home like a “green desert”
Sarah McRow, who had no prior warning of the work, was awoken at 11pm on Monday by chainsaws and heavy machinery around 400 metres from her home, whose fields abut the tracks in Brackenfield, Amber Valley.
Sarah, who owns Brackenfield Alpacas which is not just a home to her but a herd of 40 friendly alpacas, ventured out at 2am to investigate, and discovered workmen hacking down vegetation – with one explaining that anything closer that 6.5 metres to the tracks was being axed.
She claims the workman told her “old ash trees” were being cleared, however she awoke again today to find “everything” gone. Speaking about the devastation left behind, she said: “Everything across the banks and the sidings has gone.
"They’ve taken out the shrubs, the trees, just everything – some of these trees are probably 50 or 60 years old and they’re just chopping them all down – clearly they don’t give a toss about the land."
The latest environmental damage comes after Sarah, who not long ago completed an extension on the house she built from scratch on the land, was informed National Grid plans to build a series of 50m electricity pylons through her land – meaning the loss of her business and her home.
She said: “We’re going to have, potentially, pylons all along the valley and now we’re getting stripped of trees – there’s going to be nothing in this valley. It’s going to be a green desert.”
Sidings tracks in Brackenfield are elevated to around 20 feet above the ground and stretch for around two-three miles from Ogston Lane to Back Lane – which is all being cleared of greenery.
Sarah said: “The trees and shrubs on the sidings banks shield us from the trains going past and make the environment look more natural. Now it looks like a bomb’s hit it. It’s completely bare. All the trees and shrubs have been chopped down.
“It’s completely denuded of everything – oak trees, maples, apple trees, sycamores, a whole variety of trees that are likely to be chopped. This is a habitat for nesting birds and many of the buses are old. Birds absolutely love them and they’re all going to be gone and it needn’t be this way.
"I was told they’re clearing 6.5 metres but what does that actually mean? Do they mean trees of a certain size or is it absolutely everything. If it is absolutely everything, then why?”
A Network Rail spokesperson said: “We’re sorry for the disruption caused as we carry out vegetation management along this section of the railway up to Clay Cross Tunnel. The work is being carried out to meet specific requirements regarding trees near the track, and always follows extensive ecological assessments.
“The consequences of trains striking trees can be severe. In July and September 2022 several trees fell onto this section and damaged trains – which highlights the importance of this work.”