To have spent most of the day in tears over trees

There are no birds nests now. Plus if you have only been there a year there was definitely pp in the offing for this site. Theres No Way this has got pp in a year and it wasn’t in the local plan! What’s a water company got to do with it? They probably got the pp. Take it as an opportunity to plant your own trees. You do have space but there’s not a chance this development wasn’t known about and you could have tried to have got TPOs for the trees.

Also they have leaves on, so when was before photo taken?

That must feel very hard OP, but might be an ultimate long term benefit. Even as someone who loves trees, not all trees are good trees.

The conifers they have removed were essentially fast growing weeds that were choking out native trees over time.

They have retained the deciduous trees - difficult to tell from the photos what they are, but there will be a reason they have retained them and it implies they were not just completely clearing the site.

With the conifers gone there is now MUCH more chance of you being able to plant your own native trees that will now thrive, very quickly.

Depending on your budget you could go to your local garden centre or, as others have suggested (and would be my recommendation) Woodland trust have free or cheep packs of saplings. If you get them in the ground in the next 2-3 months they will quickly establish and you’ll be amazed how much they come in in the next year.

I would be devastated.

Do you have the capacity to take on gardening? If you loved the trees and the wildlife you cna bring it into your own garden again.

I don't feel like I know enough but adding big fast growing trees, a pond, some bird feeders could help? But I would feel absolute grief going out there too so I understand if you don't feel up to taking that on.

@ThePure You have such a pretty garden.

OP, not replacement trees, but here's what I grew with one 99p packet of wildflower seeds from the supermarket. I just dug up a bit of lawn, dug the soil over, scattered these seeds in spring and by summer I had this. You can turn this around love.

That's absolutely shocking. I'm not in the UK but in Ireland where laws are similar and it's illegal to fell a tree with nests and active wildlife. Trees can't even be trimmed between march and September. The poor birds will have just built their little homes and now they're gone. Is there a wildlife place that you can contact or the council to see why they removed trees with active wildlife. It's recommended not compulsory to plant another tree if you remove one and I think I'd be contacting them about replacing some of those trees, I'd actually ask for a 15+ year tree to be put into your garden.

This is one of the saddest things I’ve read on MN. I would be devastated too OP.
Humans were the worst thing to ever happen to this planet. Their greed is just abhorrent.

All that poor wildlife.

Now is a great time to hang out lots of bird feeders, the birds will flock to them and you can enjoy seeing them instantly, you don’t need a tree just hang off a washing line or anything! Silver birches look fantastic-create your own amazingly diverse garden-bee friendly, definitely have a pond if you can as that will massively increase diversity of wildlife in yr garden. Catmint is a great plant that has a long flower season. Have a look at Nic Howard garden design for some creative inspiration. Enjoy making your own garden look fantastic!

That’s so awful Op. I’d be so so so sad about this. Can you not move ?

Pop to the garden centre and buy some leylandii and within five years you will have a good barrier again (and in 15 years you will be paying someone to cut them down)

That is so sad OP. I would be in tears too.

I'm also so so sorry OP. I'd definitely be in tears too, you are absolutely not being unreasonable 💐

Why don’t you check on the planning if the builders have to plant additional trees to make up for the ones they have cut down.

We love seeing birds in the garden - do you have a feeder as a start for you before you decide to plant your own trees.
check out the gardening board on here as you will get lots of advice on the right plant/bush for the size of your garden.

Birds Won’t be nesting at this time of year so it isn’t their home as such so please try not to feel as sad.

Did they not require planning permission to chop them down ? Even with large conifers you need permission .

This is a link to the gardener I mentioned earlier. Judging by the toys you have DCs, so this approach wouldn't work for you but it does show what could be done.

Once you start putting plants and features in your space, add a bit of height a wooden arch to grow honeysuckle and roses over, look out for easy to sow seeds in the supermarket to attract bees and insects put some bird feeders, even a little pond in an old tub, and you will get wildlife back in your garden.

I’d be in tears as well. I have woods at the end of my garden, and know planners have their eyes on it.

Definitely get your own trees.

I was devastated when my neighbour built a huge two storey ‘garage’ with home office in his garden taking up half the space and overlooking all of my little terraced house garden. He was a local councillor which I am sure had nothing to do with him getting planning permission. All we managed to change was that at least he had to take out the window (a garage with a window huh?) that was staring right into my kitchen diner.

I went to the garden centre, showed them pics and asked for suggestions and now I have a lovely row of pleached trees that block his monstrosity from view and make my tiny enclosed mid terrace garden feel much nicer like a secret garden.

The pic is when they were first planted (can’t find a more recent one) so doesn’t look like much but over time they have grown and joined up and are now quite an effective barrier with flowers and berries in season.

They are just trees. More will grow. Birds will find other trees to nest in. It will be ok

I'm so sorry, and feel your sadness! I was livid and so upset when half a dozen beautiful old horse chestnut trees were cut down at the back of the car park where I work, supposedly to make space for more cars. It's made next to no difference to the parking space and just .ade a lot of people very upset.

When we moved to our current house, we needed to screen an ugly view. I did some research about Eucalyptus trees. Some varieties are slow growing and some romp away. We planted 3and theyare now massive. The Internet is your friend. Google 'fast growing trees'. But check their eventual size...

So sorry you have found out the hard way you can only control what is actually in your garden. But:

Go to a plant/tree nursery. Local ones can give you really good advice about what will be good in your garden. Garden centres are really expensive and will just sell you anything you fancy without regard to the conditions in your garden and what birds in your area prefer. Mixed hedging would also encourage wildlife.

They strip sites so they have no ‘value’ to preserve, no protected wildlife to advocate for …it’s to put the defeat int9 those who want to fight for their area..those trees would have shielded existing residents from noise etc..whilst the land was developed and added something to the new builds ..it’s a horrible shame. Here we had protected trees they put their cabins across their roots to kill them..noted by council officers but no action taken in a TPO area …it’s really grim

I hate this. It makes me so sad and despairing. All that wildlife.

Before the hard hearts arrive…I’ve cried over felled trees here too.

It’s an utter farce our council launching a blue and green strategy (rivers and trees SO important, yeah right) and every scrap of land with a copse of trees being stripped for development in a flood area! You couldn’t make it up. If you own …plant trees now they will surprise you and create the screen you loved

The thing you really need to sort is living somewhere you hate so viscerally. If you’re buying, no one forces you to buy somewhere you hate.

So move. Or take action: plant your own trees. Make a garden for the birds.

But please, stop moaning your life away. We only get one go at it, and YABU to be so passive and negative.

I’m sure you can make a beautiful garden! And the birds will come back and you’ll increase the value of your house.