A CAMPAIGN against plans to fell 14 mature trees to build a car park at Exploris Aquarium has attracted almost 52,000 signatures.
The Portaferry Save the Trees Campaign Group will be delivering the petition to Bangor Castle this morning and plan a socially-distanced protest.
The council wants to clear the area for a £467,000 project providing 69 car, coach and disabled parking spaces, new toilets and paths and street and lighting improvements in the Ropewalk area of Portaferry, beside the aquarium.
Organisers wrote to members of Ards and North Down Council on Sunday informing it of the scale of opposition and intention to hand in the petition.
"We appreciate it is short notice, but so was the letter from the council in late May that first alerted us to the fact there would be 'disruption' at the Exploris car park at the back of our houses - though the same letter did not give us any information about the felling of mature trees to build a car park," they said.
"We only received that information by asking the contractors your council had sent to the site."
Supporters are assembling at Aurora car park and will walk to the castle to hand in the petition.
Representatives of the group are making a presentation to councillors tomorrow.
Exploris has been the only aquarium in Northern Ireland since it opened in 1987, but is facing competition after a rival was approved at the Belfast Titanic area.
Earlier this month the council confirmed it is continuing with its plans to remove the trees, with a council officer telling elected members Exploris management believes the plan is "essential for its survival" and needs to start work "as soon as possible".
The online petition was started by resident Lily Devlin who said the threatened trees lead to an ancient woodland.
"It will involve the destruction of a copse and small meadow that will create a hard edge at the entrance to the beautiful Nugent's Wood Trail and in other areas a single old tree is to be chopped to make way for one extra parking place."
The council say the only part of the project requiring planning permission is a `blade' that is "classed as public art", with an initial ecological survey finding a nest in one of the trees that delayed the work for a month until a further survey could be done.
The official told members it was "much more than car parking spaces" but making sure children and families visiting "can go onto the footpath and go safely into Exploris".
It has committed to planting "at least 15 more" trees and more "if some of the budget allows".
Portaferry Regeneration is also reported to support the project.
