A horrified grandad who woke up to the sound of chainsaws cutting down trees opposite his home staged a protest by standing beneath them.

Nigel Fowler, who lives along London Road, claims neighbours were previously reassured there wouldn’t be any felling to make way for the Pippins Place development in East Malling.

The 72-year-old says he doesn’t care if he’s arrested, insisting that removing the greenery is “unnecessary”.

The land – known to locals as Forty Acres Field – is set to become a 250-home estate.

Building developers Vistry started work on the site in May.

In 2021, the application attracted 621 letters of objection and two petitions against the scheme, which each nearly reached 1,000 signatures.

Despite this, permission was granted on appeal by a government planning inspector after Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council (TMBC) councillors rejected the scheme twice.

Since then, residents have slammed the development, claiming the construction was causing “incessant” noise and dust.

Some said the vibrations were so fierce their houses would shake.

A number of trees and foliage line the northern border of the site, which runs along the A20 London Road.

Nigel and his wife Ruth moved into a property opposite the site in June.

They have lived in north London for most of their life and wanted to escape the stresses and strains of the city.

However, on Tuesday (October 24), Nigel was woken up at around 8am to the sound of chainsaws.

“When I saw what was happening I couldn’t believe it,” Mr Fowler said. “They were chopping off a branch of a beautiful tree.

“The workers told me they were paid to do a job and their boss would be coming in about 40 minutes.

“They were going to carry on – so I stood underneath a tree.

“I wasn’t intimidated.”

During his protest, the retiree asked to speak to the site foreman and was told by him that certain trees had to be removed.

After discussions, Nigel said the contractors stopped cutting and cleared the site at around 3pm.

He added: “I will stay under each tree. I don’t care if I’m arrested.

“I want it to stop before it gets to a point of no return. It’s never going to be the same otherwise.

“They are causing environmental damage, as there are birds nesting in there and lots of wildlife. It is unnecessary.”

So far approximately three trees have been cut down and a number of branches have been trimmed.

Several trunks have been marked in blue with numbers.

The couple say the former owners of their home, and their neighbours, were previously reassured none of the trees were going to be touched.

“These are beautiful trees and I look at them outside my window every day,” Nigel explained. “I couldn’t let them do it.

“Once they are cut down, there’s no going back.

“What they propose to do is change something that has been here for hundreds of years or more, for their advantage – not for anyone who lives on this side of the road.”

A spokeswoman for Vistry said: “Three trees were removed by a contractor at our Pippins Place location this week.

“The trees were scheduled to be removed as outlined in the arboricultural report approved as part of the planning application.

“The trees were of low quality and posed a potential risk to safety as the winter months approach.

“The homeowner on neighbouring land has been contacted by our team and a meeting has been arranged.”

They added: “Pippins Place is a sustainable development, where more than half of the land has been designated as green open space.

“This includes the creation of a new country park which will boost the number of trees, hedgerows and other habitats. The removal of trees will be minimal.

“Any existing trees within the development which are ancient or of special importance as bat habitats will be retained.”

Nigel and Ruth have confirmed they will be attending the meeting.

“I want to know which ones they are taking out,” he said. “I just want clarity.

“How can you remove beautiful trees, which are not harming anyone and enhance the area?

“We didn’t have all this nature in London. It would be a shame to lose this.”

When KentOnline spoke to other residents along the road, many expressed frustration over the cutting of the vegetation.

Homeowner Kerry said: “They have been there for years, they are a natural barrier and it is completely unnecessary for them to be chopped down.

“This is a surprise to us – on the original plan, all the trees are in place.

“We’ve had absolutely no communication. Whenever we do speak to them, we go to the site manager and get fobbed off.”