 Trees cut down at Scoreys Copse in Horton Heath ( Eastleigh Borough Council/Solent) Barney, who lives nearby with his parents in a £2.3m house, had "access to a rich sea of funding", Southampton Magistrates' Court heard in September. He planned to build two holiday lets on the plot of land he had recently bought, it was said. The developer was ordered to pay £68,031 in fines and costs after pleading guilty to breaching tree preservation regulations over the offence in April last year. Residents and councillors protested against the move ( Daily Echo/Solent News) The 35-year-old, of Old Bursledon, Hampshire, has now been hauled back to the same court and fined a further £1,000 for felling timber without a licence. This time, Barney admitted destroying between 10 and 20 trees in March 2020 - weeks before submitting a planning application to build holiday lets on a site in Durley which he had bought for £27,500. Barney pleaded guilty to destroying more woodland ( Eastleigh Borough Council/Sol){kind=link}
James Barney landed himself back in court for destroying trees just one month after being fined more than £65,000 for chopping down dozens of protected oaks in Hampshire
A property developer who was fined more than £65,000 for chopping down protected trees has been hauled back into court for destroying even more.
Just weeks after being prosecuted for illegally felling dozens of historic oaks, landowner James Barney pleaded guilty to destroying more woodland.
Despite protest from councillors and residents, Barney awoke horrified neighbours by turning up with a team and a digger to cut down 53 oak trees which were over 100 years old and subject to a Tree Preservation Order.
The oaks stood in an area of woodland at Scoreys Copse, Horton Heath, Hampshire.