A group of 70 women have married dozens of trees in a desperate bid to block plans that would see the trees cut down for a prospective £55million building site.
The event took place at a caravan park in Spike Island, Bristol, where organisers feared the threat posed by housing developers who want to construct more than 150 apartments in the Western Harbour area.
After joining together in holy matrimony, the brides aimed to highlight plans which could see the trees cut down for the £55million building of 166 flats by the city council-owned Goram Homes.
Those ‘marrying’ the 74 trees wore bridal dresses from a range of cultures after being inspired by the 1970s Chipko Movement – after a group of women from the Mandal village in the Himalayas threw their arms around trees to protect forests from being destroyed.
Organiser Siobhan Kierans said she hoped the eyebrow-raising event showed ‘trees are our partners for life.’
Suzan Hackett, one of the ‘brides’, explained to the BBC: “To get married to a tree is an absolute privilege.
“It’s not just a sentimental gesture, it is highly significant and symbolic.
“Trees are pure examples of unconditional love, which fit in so beautifully with the whole idea of marriage. Marriage is for life, breathing is for life.
“Bristol needs mature trees more than it does luxury private housing.”
The planning application on the site between the docks and Cumberland Road is from Goram Homes and Essex-based developers Hill, with the Baltic Wharf Homes website promising “a fantastic opportunity (on) an underutilised and prime harbourside location.”
Plans for the £55m project incorporate one, two and three-bedroom flats – including exclusive waterfront penthouses and 66 affordable homes – as well as ground floor commercial space.
The application acknowledges some of the 74 trees require removal, but the Save Baltic Wharf Trees group and the Bristol Tree Forum slammed ‘a lack of transparency’ over the actual number of potentially felled trees.
Owners of the Baltic Wharf Caravan Site, where the trees are found, have been served notice by the city council to leave.
A Bristol City Council spokesperson said due to the planning application currently being considered, it was unable to comment.