A Horsham property developer has been fined £40,000 after illegally felling trees and destroying the habitat of a protected species on an 11-acre site in West Sussex. Paul Welch, 40, owner of Oakmount Parks Ltd, appeared before Brighton Magistrates’ Court on 24 June 2026, where he was fined £40,000 and ordered to pay a victim surcharge and court costs totalling £3,000 after pleading guilty to two environmental offences. The prosecution followed an extensive investigation by Sussex Police’s Rural Crime Team into large-scale tree felling carried out in March 2022.
Woodland cleared despite ecological warnings
Police were called to the site on 23 March 2022 following reports that a large area of woodland had been cleared. Officers attended and instructed contractors to stop removing the felled trees with heavy machinery while enquiries were carried out. The contractors told officers they had been led to believe by Welch that ecological surveys had confirmed there were no Great Crested Newts on the site. However, ecological reports commissioned as part of the planning process had identified that Great Crested Newts, a European protected species, were living in or around two of the site’s 11 ponds.
Ignored expert advice
During police interview, Welch admitted he had not fully read the ecological reports but accepted he knew the protected amphibians were present on the land. He also admitted he knew it was illegal to carry out the work without first obtaining a European Protected Species licence from Natural England, acknowledging that the tree felling would disturb the newts and damage their habitat. Welch claimed the work had been undertaken for health and safety reasons following Storm Eunice, insisting only damaged or dying trees had been removed. However, arboricultural officers from Horsham District Council found that many of the felled trees were healthy and in full leaf rather than storm damaged. Although workers were instructed to stop, the clearance continued.
Habitat ‘almost destroyed’
An ecologist later concluded it was highly likely that Great Crested Newts and other wildlife had been killed during the operation. The report found that breeding sites, nests and habitats had been almost completely destroyed and were unlikely to recover. The ecologist also rejected Welch’s explanation for the work, concluding the scale and method of the clearance did not match claims it had been carried out for safety reasons. Instead, the report stated the work had actually made the site more hazardous by exposing trees that had previously been sheltered.
Guilty pleas
Welch was charged with:
- Damaging or destroying a breeding site or resting place of a European protected species.
- Felling growing trees without the required Forestry licence.
He pleaded guilty to both offences at Worthing Magistrates’ Court on 11 July 2024 before being sentenced at Brighton Magistrates’ Court this year.
Police welcome sentence
Police Constable Nicholas Hodge, of Sussex Police’s Rural Crime Team, said:
“Welch’s disregard of environmental and wildlife laws, and his decision to repeatedly ignore expert advice has led to potentially irreparable damage to a protected species and their habitat.
“I am pleased to see the severity of his actions reflected in the outcome of this case.”
Originally published by UKNIP.
