PARISH councillors claim developers of York’s Derwenthorpe scheme have broken their promise by removing a 20ft stretch of hedgerow.

Osbaldwick Parish Council said the Joseph Rowntree Housing Trust (JRHT) repeatedly gave assurances that the perimeter hedge around the 540-home development on York’s eastern outskirts would be retained.

Former trust director Richard Best said in a letter to parish chairman Mark Warters in 2005: “All of the external hedgerows are to be retained,” and in a leaflet, the organisation said: “All perimeter hedgerow… will be preserved.”

But Mr Warters said a section of mature hedge fronting on to The Village had recently been removed in two stages, and also claimed excavation beneath a mature tree had damaged its roots.

The parish authority has written to City of York Council, asking it to issue a temporary “stop notice” to prevent any further hedge damage, and requesting a copy of an ecologist’s report indicating the absence or otherwise of nesting birds prior to its removal.

The parish council also complained to North Yorkshire Police, claiming the removal breached the Wildlife And Countryside Act because it was nesting season.

A force spokeswoman said it was only an offence to remove a hedge if there were nesting birds in it and on this occasion there were no birds nesting.

A JRHT spokeswoman said it had always intented to preserve existing boundary hedgerows where possible.

“Unfortunately, on this occasion, sections of hedgerow needed to be removed to allow works to both new and existing drainage systems under the site to proceed and avoid an existing tree,” she said. “We will be replanting the hedge with appropriate plants as soon as works are completed.”

A City of York Council spokeswoman said: “An ecologist working on behalf of the JRHT assessed the hedge to ensure there were no birds’ nests in it, before it was removed.” She said the council was assessing the impact of work carried out close to a sycamore tree.