See more Daily Mail on Google - save us as a Preferred SourceBy JON BRADY, SENIOR NEWS REPORTER Published: 15:54 BST, 5 June 2026 | Updated: 15:57 BST, 5 June 2026
Pensioners have won a battle against a middle-class retirement haven of £550,000 bungalows to stop its bosses from ripping out a beloved 60-year-old hedge.Elderly people in Milford-on-Sea in Hampshire staged protests and gathered 1,000 signatures on a petition in a bid to stop Regency Living from tearing out the greenery as part of its Solent Grange development.Regency had planned to replace the decades-old hedgerow with a plain fence - worrying locals who believe it is used by nesting sparrows in the spring.The fence also served to block out the view of the main road for those living on the site, which was once a caravan park owned by RoyaleLife Group before it slipped into administration in 2023.Residents claimed they had suffered 'nothing but hassle' on the site, which has lain partially unfinished due to the previous owner's liquidation.They believed the hedge was preventing the developer from building more homes - which can fetch more than half a million pounds - near the edge of the road.The plot to remove it was, they said, the 'final straw' - and they took direct action. In scenes more likely to be seen at a political protest, pensioners waved a placard reading 'All Hedges Matter' and even laid down in front of a contractor's van to stop the topiary from being troubled in April. Pensioners stand beside the hedge at Solent Grange, which they have successfully battled to retain amid fears it hosts nesting birds A protester waved a tongue-in-cheek 'All Hedges Matter' placard during the protest in April Elderly residents even laid down in front of a contractor's vehicle to stop them from entering the site to rip up the fenceConfronted with 80 angry pensioners, the contractor backed off.And several weeks on from the dramatic demonstration, Regency has thrown in the towel.Marilyn Whalley, 73, a member of the residents' association committee who organised the protest, said: 'Victory for the common people indeed. 'Our petition gathered 1000 signatures and the Residents Associations Committee continued to push this solution through.'We are delighted, and they also have plans to increase biodiversity within the park.'Solent Grange, which is targeted at individuals and couples aged 45 and above, has already run into issues.Residents paying a ground rent of up to £400 a month have accused Regency of failing to deliver on promises such as a swimming pool and a gym.However, they will at least be glad to have kept their hedge. Speaking at the protest in April, 67-year-old semi-retired teacher Caroline Bennett said: 'I've lived in the area all my life and love it here. It's so peaceful and the nature is amazing, but we moved here for the community really.'That's what matters to people our age. We have a crochet club and quiz nights, it's so lovely. They've gone over our heads with this and we're not happy.'Maggie Prince, 77, who was joined by her 79-year-old husband Mike, said: 'That hedge was here back then, which must have been 50 years ago, at least. 'I've always seen the different birds living there and now they want to get rid of it.'Then we moved here from Hythe three or four years ago to get away from the hassle - but this place has only been a hassle. I can be quite the troublemaker when I want to be. This is important to us.'
