SUPERMARKET company Lidl was criticised this week for wanting to save tropical rainforests but at the same time destroying trees and hedgerows in Wellington.

The firm has ripped out a lengthy stretch of hedging along the boundary of its site off the Cades roundabout and Nynehead Road where it is building a new store.

A further 100 yards of hedge and trees along the B3187 stretching toward the town centre was said to be due to be removed ‘in the next week or so’.

Wellington town Cllr Mike McGuffie, who chairs the council’s environment and open spaces committee, said the habitat destruction appeared to be happening with the approval of Somerset County Council because half of the ground involved was on public highways land.

Cllr McGuffie said the hedgerow had been planted about 10 years ago, so the ‘resources, money, time, and effort’ which went into the planting was now going to waste, as well as the 10 years of growth.

He said replacing the hedgerow with new planting would not justify the waste of money and resources.

“Why not just leave it as it is,” he said. “It is not even on the site of the development and does not get in the way.”

Cllr McGuffie said the habitat destruction would make the new store more prominent for road users and it would look identical to every other out-of-town store site.

He said: “What is wrong with a bit of a difference on the way into Wellington?

“I am sure everybody will know where the supermarket is.

“The town council opposed this site in the first place due to the prominence on the approach to Wellington, and turned down a 20 feet high illuminated flagpole sign on the corner because of visual intrusion.

“When the supermarket was proposed, I do not think people would have thought it would have involved tearing up the hedgerow by the site.

“It will make the view of the building overbearing on the drive into Wellington.”

Cllr McGuffie said Somerset West and Taunton Council had declared a ‘climate emergency’ but the Lidl hedgerows issue showed an apparent ‘lack of joined up thinking’.

Her said: “They are willing to destroy healthy hedgerow that the public themselves paid to be planted, in order to fulfil a supermarkets desire to be more visible to passing traffic.

“The hedgerow itself will then be replaced by new planting.

“It is public land, so it is difficult to see what the public interest is to have it removed.

“We need to improve the number of trees and space for wildlife in Wellington in order to combat climate change.

“It would be helpful if developers and planning decisions were not heading unnecessarily in the opposite direction.

“It is not too late should Lidl and Somerset highways change their mind and allow the hedgerow and trees to remain.

“Lidl on their website detail their ambition to stop the cutting down of tropical rain forests.

“Yet they cannot even stop themselves from removing unnecessarily hedgerow by their own store.

“How then can they expect farmers to protect rainforest?”

Both Lidl and the county council were contacted by the Wellington Weekly for comment.