Locals have raged after their parish council felled an iconic tree used in the logos for the local football club and parish council itself - one person even compared the incident to the Sycamore Gap tree15:39, 19 May 2026Updated 15:50, 19 May 2026Furious residents have raged at a council and accused it of felling a tree like the Sycamore Gap scandal after a much loved tree was chopped down.‌Locals in the coastal village of Hythe, Hampshire, have hit out at their parish council after it ordered the Scot Pine, which has stood in a seafront park for years, to be cut down. Residents mourned the loss of the beloved tree, which was also on the logo for the local football club and the parish council itself.‌Hythe and Dibden council ordered the felling due to a "permanent decline" reported after an inspection in March.‌READ MORE: 'Mindless' Sycamore Gap yob to remain behind bars 'until next year' as partner in crime walks freeREAD MORE: The Sycamore Gap tree felling - everything you need to know about the crime, arrests and trialThe tree was cut and a six-foot stump was left. Hythe and Dibden council added that there were also plans to replace the iconic tree with "salt tolerant, flood tolerant, wind resistant Ulmus".This will be called the "New Horizon" project but some locals seem to be far from impressed. One furious resident even compared the move to the Sycamore Gap incident, where two men illegally felled the famous tree on Hadrian's Wall back in 2023.‌Garry Brown, 74, said: "I'm heartbroken. Our view now comprises a couple of silos and a skyscraper. It's a bit like the Sycamore Gap. When a tree comes down it leaves a scar on the landscape."Another resident Tony Elliott, 80, according to the Telegraph, said: "I'm sorry the tree has gone - it provided a welcome break in a rather plain horizon." Angela Tyrrell said: "During Covid my family and I gathered under this legend when it was my birthday because we couldn’t be at home together."‌Parish councillor Mark Clark told the Mirror: "The feeling in Hythe is not anger — it is grief, and there is an important difference. This Scots Pine has stood at the heart of our community for generations. It is part of our Parish Council logo. People grew up with it, marked milestones beside it, and loved it. Of course they are sad to see it gone.He added that the decision was "not taken lightly" and "Independent professional advice from the New Forest District Council’s Corporate Tree Officer confirmed the tree was in terminal decline".Clark said they "followed every proper process", adding: "The Council had a legal and moral responsibility to act before it became a safety risk in a prominent public location."Article continues belowHe said: "This is nothing like Sycamore Gap. That was an act of vandalism. This was an act of care — for public safety, for the community, and for the future of Prospect Place. The remaining stump will become a community sculpture created with local artists and the Waterside Woodcarvers. Timber will be reused by groups including Hythe Shed.Another Hythe councillor, named Alex Wade, said: "The tree held a special place in all our hearts. Many generations have sat under the tree and shared memories over the decades of this special corner of Hythe. It's sad to see it finally removed, but it is, unfortunately, a necessary decision."