Petition to save 'Darwin Oak' passes 100,000 signatures within hours of naturalist's birthday

Tens of thousands of people have now signed a petition to save the tree, which is set for the chop to make way for the North West Relief Road (NWRR).

The 550-year-old tree, so named due to it being located upon a route supposedly followed by the famous Shrewsbury-born naturalist on his walks in the area as a young man, is among nine veteran trees that stand in the path of the planned road.

At a planning meeting in which the £80 million bypass was approved, members were told the route could not be altered to save the tree because the road would then be too bendy, meaning it could not have a 60mph limit.

The council has said that the loss of the veteran trees was "extremely regrettable" but 84 new trees would be planted to replace them, "which will, in time, then reach veteran status also".

The huge number of signatures was reached within 24 hours of the anniversary of Charles Darwin's birthday on February 12.

The organiser of the petition, 'Shropshire's Tree Hunter' Rob McBride, said he was "very chuffed" to see so many people support the cause.

He said: "What a glorious coincidence and a sign that we are heading in the right direction to save the great oak and the other veteran trees along the proposed route for the NWRR.

"It shows the sense of feeling by so many people. People from over half of the world's countries - 107 countries - have signed the petition."

Rob said he hoped the petition would have national significance - and hopes to see trees afforded the same historical protection as man-made structures.

He said: "When you have a society where over 7,000 benches have listed status and are protected way more than ancient trees are, then you know you have a system that is not fit for purpose.

"It’s time for change. Change in many ways: politically, morally and ethically. Change in how we look at nature and the planet.

"It is a no-brainer that ancient trees should be given protected status, listed status as is our built environment. The Government that does this gets my vote any day."

In response to concerns raised by the activists, a Shropshire Council spokesperson said: “Shropshire Council fully acknowledges the environmental impact of building the North West Relief Road.

“From the outset, the chosen route has distanced itself wherever possible from sensitive areas, but there have been unavoidable conflicts with certain habitats and trees.

"The council has therefore proposed and had endorsed at Planning Committee, an onerous and fully justifiable approach to mitigation and compensation wherever required. In many areas, this has demonstrably exceeded any statutory minimum levels of provision and looks to achieve exemplar status on many of its approaches. For example, the biodiversity legacy of the road will see great improvements in the natural habitat alongside the road in future.

“On the matter of the unavoidable loss of nine veteran trees in particular, the council see this as extremely regrettable. However, the commitment to plant 84 new trees to replace these - which will in time then reach veteran status also - shows the commitment the council has to the future care and stewardship of the natural environment.

"This focus on the management of the veteran trees is just a small part of a much wider planting legacy that will also see a ratio of nine to one achieved in terms of general tree replacement.”

The petition is available to view online at: change.org/p/save-the-darwin-oak.