Campaign group calls for 300-year-old oak tree to be protected amid plans to expand major Derbyshire A-road

The Stop the A38 Expansion Campaign is fighting to protect a 300-year-old oak tree, which they say is threatened by plans to expand the road from four to six lanes at the Little Eaton, Markeaton, and Kingsway junctions.

While the primary objective is to alleviate congestion and improve travel times between Birmingham, Derby, and the M1, it has sparked debate over its environmental impacts.

The ancient oak is situated on the Bonnie Prince Charlie walk between Ashbourne and Derby – a path traced by Bonnie Prince Charlie and his troops in 1745 – and is at risk due to the impending road expansion. This historically significant tree would have been a sapling when the Prince and his troops passed through.

On Saturday, artists and local residents – led by professional Derbyshire artist Dianna Green – congregated at the threatened tree to use art to call for greater protection of the area’s nature and history.

The Stop the A38 Expansion Campaign, backed by a legal challenge recently granted permission by the high court to proceed to trial, has garnered substantial support, raising over £30,000 through crowdfunding efforts.

A Stop the A38 Expansion Campaign spokesperson said: “National Highways’ own planning documents show the scheme will increase carbon emissions both through construction and increased traffic. Planning documents also show 11.38 hectares of trees to be cut down with only 6.40 hectares of saplings replacing them.

“Saplings also require maintenance to survive. Over half a million saplings planted by National Highways as mitigation for the A14 Cambridge road scheme died.”

The scheme threatens the removal of a veteran oak tree and numerous centuries-old trees in and around Markeaton Park. Derbyshire Wildlife Trust has expressed concerns regarding the scheme's ecological assessment and the potential loss of the A38 Kingsway Roundabout Local Wildlife Site.

Tricia Howlett, a local educator who organised the community painting event, said: “These trees can’t simply be replanted – saplings will take decades and even centuries to offer the same homes to wildlife, carbon storage, flood defence, screening and shade that these threatened mature trees give. We should be protecting existing trees as well as planting new ones. ”

Derbyshire-based artist Diana Green added: “As an artist whose work centres around our majestic trees, I am pleased to support this event. Our established trees are miniature ecosystems that support diverse species, and it is our responsibility to preserve and care for them rather than indiscriminately chopping them down for our convenience.”

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David Lane, National Highways Project Manager, said: “We understand the value that trees have and how people feel about them. We take our environmental responsibilities very seriously and are one of the largest tree planting organisations in the UK, with plans to plant an extra three million trees by 2030.

“We only cut back or fell trees where it is essential to keep people safe, protect the environment, or where it is necessary to allow us to improve journeys. We have carried out specialist surveys on the oak and will do what we can to try and retain it.

“If this is not possible we will continue to work with ecologists and other specialists to make sure our environmental mitigations are as thorough and beneficial as possible.”