AN ONLINE petition to stop a housing development being built near an ancient woodland has been launched. Members of the Protecting Pershore’s Woodland Group set up the e-petition on Wychavon District Council’s website to formally request a proposal to build 450 houses in the fields adjoining Tiddesley Wood is withdrawn from the South Worcestershire Development Plan. This follows on from eight weeks of active campaigning during the consultation period in November which saw two peaceful protests of nearly 300 people held both at the Civic Centre and the SWDP exhibition.

A record number of local residents turned out on November 13 to see the SWDP plans with a further 250 crowded into the library on November 19. Now residents are asking Wychavon to remove the land at Orchard Farm, off Defford Road, to protect the ancient woodland and its wildlife.

Tiddesley Wood was formed after the last Ice Age and is over 6,000 years old. It is home to the rare Noble Chafer Beetle, Horseshoe bats and many other protected wildlife. The town council voted unanimously in November to reject the proposal and the Facebook group has more than 1,500 active members. So far, 1,103 signatures have been obtained online with just 897 more needed to ensure that Wychavon District Council debate the issue.

Newly re-elected MP Harriett Baldwin, a member of Worcestershire Wildlife Trust, which owns the Woodland, is also supporting the petition. She said: “I encourage as many people as possible to sign the Wychavon e-petition to illustrate the strength of feeling on this issue. I have written myself and have spoken to the Leader of Wychavon as well on behalf of all my constituents who have written to me with their grave concerns.”

Fellow campaigner Councillor Val Wood said: “I am delighted to see that our MP is fully behind our protests at the potential desecration our ancient woodland and adjoining fields. I have yet to meet anyone who is in favour of it! I urge everyone to help us stop this ludicrous proposal and help us to preserve our 6,000-year-old woodland and protect its wildlife. Climate crisis is real and we need to act now by holding Westminster to their election promises and doing all we can to save our environment.”