One of Britain’s last city farmers is devastated after workers tore up a section of an ancient hedgerow.<br /><br />Catherine Withers, 53, and her supporters were in tears as developers removed the 200-year-old hedge with chainsaws.<br /><br />Catherine's family has worked Yew Tree Farm in Chew Magna, just south of Bristol, for almost 60 years.<br /> <br />But now contractors who have plans to build a new housing development have removed a section of an ancient hedgerow.<br /><br />The hedge is a Site of Nature Conservation Interest (SNCI) because it is home to a wide variety of birds, butterflies, and insects.<br /><br />Catherine used to graze her cattle in the field before the landowners terminated the agreement. <br /><br />Earlier this year apparent ''errors' made by Bristol City Council saw the landowner given permission to build a 12-foot gate.<br /><br />The local authority has since admitted that it made a mistake but due to the time that has passed it cannot go back on the decision.<br /><br />The gate has been installed to give new access to fields that developers hope to build houses on.<br /><br />But Catherine says this could lead to the farm becoming financially unviable for her family.<br /><br />Tenant farmer Catherine, who was left in tears at the incident, said: “It makes me weep that it’s such an important site but it can’t be protected.<br /><br />"Now we've got an industrial gateway across a green space that is teeming with life - including a new species known to science.<br /><br />"I’m completely broken - the little guy always loses.<br /><br />“The people that want to destroy anything green and natural are winning and people that want to protect the natural world are losing.<br /><br />“I’m absolutely gobsmacked that’s where we are with Bristol City Council’s planning department.<br /><br />'“It’s not just about the gap in the bush, because I suppose a hedgerow could survive a four-meter gap.<br /><br />“This hedgerow is ancient and protected because it has so much biodiversity.<br /><br />“There are hundreds of butterflies as well as birds nesting and bats, all known to use the hedgerow.”<br /><br />John Tarlton, of Bristol Tree Forum, said: ''Nature is going to be destroyed and that is exactly what we don't want.''<br /><br />The area was designated a Site of Nature Conservation Interest (SNCI) - following the discovery of an insect currently unknown to science there.<br /><br />In a letter seen by Bristol24/7 earlier this year a city council planning enforcement team member admitted that errors had been made by the council during the application process.<br /><br />It said “it transpires that we did not properly realise what the application was and treated it like a request for info on proposed works to trees”.<br /><br />The email said: “This is the first application of this type for many years, and we accept that our Administration and Business Support Team made a mistake – we have put in place a process to ensure that such an error is not repeated.”<br /><br />A spokesperson for Bristol City Council said: “Officers are investigating whether works undertaken by the landowner are in accordance with the planning permission in place and conform to the ecological method statement agreed with the consultant ecologists.<br /><br />“No evidence has been submitted at present to suggest any breach of planning permission. <br /><br />"Officers will continue to monitor the works to ensure they remain in line with the agreed plans in place.”<br /><br />The privately owned land in Bedminster Down has been the site of a long-running battle between the landowner and Catherine.<br /><br />Attempts to build 200 new homes on the space have been thwarted so far with the council’s latest Local Plan, its 15-year housing blueprint, protecting it from future development.<br /><br />Landowners Longmoor Land Limited (LLL) LLL said they had acted "in exact accordance" with planning permission. <br /><br />A spokesperson said they had "created a new 12ft access in the hedgerow from the lane to their own land solely for agricultural purposes".<br /><br />They told the BBC: "The previous access to the field had been via land owned by Mrs Withers of Yew Tree Farm (who had grazed the Longmoor Land fields under a grazing licence).<br /><br />"However, since that grazing licence was terminated last year, a new access is now required, and this has been put in place today.<br /><br />"Longmoor Land is at the same time planting 250ft of new hedgerow in the same field, replacing the amount of hedgerow removed around 20 times over.''
