"There's no respect for the nature" Preston pub owner unhappy about plans to chop trees for new road network

The new road development, that aims to connect Preston and southern Fylde to the M55 motorway, is scheduled to open in early 2023 - a project that will take almost four years to complete.

The scheme, costing £200m, is now the largest new road programme in the Preston, South Ribble and Lancashire City Deal.

However, the multi-million pound development has resulted in the temporary closure of Bartle Lane, to eventually form the new Bartle Lane Bridge, that will stretch over the Preston Western Distributor Road to ensure the junction from Bartle Lane to Lea Lane remains intact.

Rob Theile, owner of the popular Sitting Goose pub, said that he feared the trees beside his pub will all be cut down after a visit from local lumberjacks and contractors.

"One of the trees is a big oak tree right behind my pub. I had lumberjacks visit the pub to see how big they were and they told me about the plans to knock them down. They keep saying it is for the road, but some of these trees aren't in the way of the new road plans," he said.

"There has been road builders and pulling contractors round which meant my regulars were asking me what was happening with the beautiful trees behind the pub.

"I can understand they need to access the area for the new road development, but from the plans I have seen, some of these trees don't interfere with those plans."

According to Lancashire County Council, the new road developments will help to promote new housing and business development in the area, while increasing capacity on the existing local road network.

The Preston Western Distributor is to link the A583 and the M55 motorway and will involve the construction of a new junction, four new bridges and three underpasses.

But pub owner Rob claims the development doesn't warrant the row of oak trees beside the pub being demolished, especially those closest to the fencing beside the pub, as the development doesn't stretch that far.

The Preston Western Distributor will be approximately 65 metres from the edge of the pub car park and 90 metres from the pub building itself.

He said: "It is just knocking beautiful trees down that have been there for years, all for a road. I am more than annoyed by this because it shows they have no respect for the nature."

Since May 26, part of Bartle Lane has remained closed as construction on Bartle Lane Bridge and the stretch of the Preston Western Distributor Road through Bartle began.

Costain Limited, in partnership with the Lancashire County Council and City Deal, confirmed that temporary traffic lights will be in place from July 23 to allow the trees facing the Sitting Goose pub to be felled safely.

Phill Wilson, project manager for the Preston Western Distributor Road, said: "We are making every effort to limit the environmental impact of the new road by protecting existing trees, hedgerows and wildlife habitat as far as possible, and planting tens of thousands of new trees and shrubs to ensure that there will be an overall net gain in biodiversity following completion of construction.

"These measures to mitigate the environmental impact of the road have been agreed as part of the planning process.

"A number of the trees behind the Sitting Goose pub are due to be removed as this is where the existing route of Bartle Lane will be diverted to form a new junction with Lea Lane."

Information on the new developments can be found at lancashire.gov.uk.