Lewes Town Council in East Sussex has become the first in England to pass a motion recognizing the rights of trees to flourish and maintain their natural life cycles. Passed on September 10, this symbolic measure aims to protect woodlands, forests, hedgerows, and individual trees by emphasizing their ecological importance and role in climate resilience. Environmental campaigners hope it will inspire similar protections elsewhere, though the resolution does not have legal power or enforceable regulations.
Written by the local model on 2026-09-14,
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Story summary
Lewes Town Council, run by a Green-Labour coalition in East Sussex, became the first town council in England to recognize the rights of trees on September 10. The council's motion grants trees, including woodlands, forests, hedgerows, and individual specimens, the right to flourish and maintain their natural life cycles, ecological functions, and evolutionary processes. Though this measure is primarily symbolic with no legal powers, it aims to bolster tree preservation orders and influence local planning decisions. Environmental advocates hope that this initiative will inspire similar actions in other towns across Britain as part of the growing 'rights of nature' movement. Audrey Jarvis from the community group Friends of Lewes emphasized the town's commitment to its arboretum status by actively planting and maintaining trees, highlighting their significance for the environment.
Written for “Trees Given Rights” on 2026-09-14,
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A quiet town in East Sussex has become the first in England to recognise the rights of its trees.
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Lewes Town Council, which is run by a coalition of Green and Labour councillors, has passed a motion to recognise the rights of trees to grow across the town.
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The motion, passed on September 10, read: 'Trees have the right to flourish and to maintain their natural life cycles, ecological functions and evolutionary processes.
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Trees → pass → cycles
The measure includes all woodlands, forests, hedgerows and even individual trees.
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Environmental campaigners hope the decree will offer trees better protection and inspire others to join the 'rights of nature' movement, which has taken root in several villages across Britain.
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Although the motion passed in Lewes is largely symbolic as it does not have any legal powers, nor is it enshrined in law, residents hope it could help back tree preservation orders and even influence local planning decisions.
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Many villages and towns across the nation already have protections for the rights of rivers.
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Last year in East Sussex, Rother District Council passed a motion acknowledging the rights of a single yew tree.
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Lewes Town Council, which is run by a Green-Labour coalition in East Sussex, has passed a motion to give rights to trees
The Lewes Town Council 'tree charter' which pledges to protect the town's green spaces
Audrey Jarvis, of the community group Friends of Lewes, told the Daily Mail: 'We're an arboretum town and as a voluntary group we go out and plant trees and look after them.
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'But at the same time, developers and other people are felling trees and not always for good reasons - to build a driveway or have a better view.
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developers → fell → view
We want to increase tree canopy cover in the area by 30 per cent but it's not easy while others are cutting them down.
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others → want → them
Lewes is prone to devastating floods and trees help reduce flooding by stopping the flow of water and absorbing it.
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trees → help → it
With the heatwaves we've had this summer I think people had appreciated the shady areas but as we've been told it's only going to get worse (due to climate change).
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We're keen to increase biodiversity across Lewes and trees are perfect for this because they provide food and habitats for animals and insects.
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they → increase → animals
'Trees are living beings and they deserve to flourish.
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If anyone argues (against that), think about how much we gain from them besides looking beautiful.
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It's a partnership between us and the trees and we should give them more respect.'
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The Sycamore Gap tree was illegally felled in September 2023.
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Two men were jailed for the crime in July last year and were sentenced to more than four years in prison
Lewes Green party councillor Dinah Morgan said the heatwaves this summer have reminded people that trees are 'partners' and are not to be exploited.
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Ms Morgan, who proposed the motion, told The Times: 'What we need is anything that will help cool our houses, cool the rivers, cool the land, cool our own gardens so they don't all just shrivel up.'
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Ms Morgan added that the purpose of the motion was to drive a 'cultural shift' around how the community treats its trees.
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According to Joanna Smallwood, an associate professor of law at the University of Sussex, the motion is 'basically stronger means of not only legal protection but changing society and remembering we are part of nature and not above it'.
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The movement's growing momentum stems from recent attacks on historic natural landmarks, including the heartbreaking slaying of the Sycamore Gap tree in 2023 and the cutting down of the 500-year-old Enfield Oak last year by a nearby restaurant.
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In July last year, Daniel Graham and Adam Carruthers were found guilty over the illegal felling of the iconic Sycamore Gap and were sentenced to more than four years in prison.
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The Northumberland tree gained worldwide fame as it featured in the opening scenes of the 1991 blockbuster, Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves.
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Situated next to Hadrian's Wall, the cultural icon stood at the beauty spot for 120 years.
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A Toby Carvery restaurant faces eviction from its site in north London after the company sparked a furious backlash by felling a 500-year-old oak
In April last year, a Toby Carvery restaurant faced furious backlash after felling the Enfield Oak in Whitewebbs Park, north London.
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Pub chain Mitchells & Butlers, which owns Toby Carvery, admitted its contractors felled the tree, near the restaurant, after acting on the advice of experts who assessed it as dying and a risk to the public.
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who → own → public
But Enfield Council, which leases the land to Mitchells & Butlers, later revealed it found the oak was healthy and posed no risk during an inspection in December 2024.
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Residents were left 'devastated' by the damage to the tree and Enfield Council.
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They said it was 'treating the matter as criminal damage' as it began legal proceedings to evict the restaurant from the premises in January.
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it → say → January
