HS2 route: England’s Tree of the Year 2015, Cubbington pear to be cut down to make room for high-speed rail line
A much-beloved Warwickshire pear tree in line to be cut down to make room for the government’s HS2 high speed rail line has just been voted Tree of the Year 2015.
The Cubbington pear tree, near the synonymous village, won the competition run by the The Woodland Trust after receiving more than 10,000 votes. It is believed to be around 250 years old and is the second largest wild pear tree in the UK.
Peter Delow, chairman of the Cubbington Action Group against HS2, who nominated the tree, said:
I am asking people to vote for our treasured and much-loved pear tree in order to highlight its plight.
It seems inconceivable to me that such an important specimen will be grubbed up to make room for HS2, but all of our efforts so far have been unable to save it from impending destruction.
The Cubbington pear tree is now in the running to win European Tree of the Year, which will be announced next year.
HS2 spokesman Ben Ruse said:
We have always recognised the significance of the tree and will do all we can to ensure that wild pear trees continue to be a feature of the countryside around Cubbington.