NATURE lovers are concerned that trees cut down to make way for a residential development in Swanage town centre may have belonged to a rookery.

Swan Country Homes Ltd received planning permission from Purbeck District Council last month, to knock down a bungalow and build 24 residential units.

The site, which is covered by a tree preservation order, has been a popular nesting location for years.

However after consulting with tree specialists, the developer claimed that the trees were felled with full knowledge of Purbeck District Council, which told them the trees were rotting.

Neville Wheeler, who lives near the development opposite the Newton Manor in Swanage High Street, said: "The developers have cut down about 15 trees and there are now about 60 or 70 rooks on my roof.

"I have spoken to Purbeck council and the RSPB about this because a lot of people did not seem to know why the trees were being felled."

A spokeswoman for the RSPB, Sophie Atherton said: "Rooks can nest in semi-urban areas and they tend to use the same nesting sites each year, sometimes for up to a decade.

"But they do not nest at this time of year. Rooks would be protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 if the nests were active, but as this is not the nesting season, it is not illegal for the developers to do what they did.

"It is most unfortunate because the rooks will have to find somewhere else to live."

A spokesman for Swan Country Homes Ltd, said: "Yes we do know about the rookery and all of the concerns have gone through the planning process. Purbeck District Council were aware of the tree preservation order and we have spent a long time consulting over this."