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Paddock Wood residents are in dismay after learning that developer Countryside Property intends to cut down a row of poplar trees at its Church Farm development site today.
Further tree felling is planned from Tuesday till Friday next week.
They are fearful that nesting birds will be disturbed and wildlife lost.
The Stop Over Development in Paddock Wood Facebook page has been choked with comments from incensed neighbours.
Marie Marriott said: "To remove those trees now is cruel. We need nature now more than ever."
Joanna Mackenzie said: "There are no words for the anger that Paddock Wood residents are feeling about this travesty."
But an assumption by residents that the action by Countryside will be illegal because it is taking place during the bird nesting season - February to August - is wrong.
Trees may still be felled during this periods as long as adequate measures are taken to ensure there are no nesting birds in them at the time.
Countryside Properties said the tree felling would be led and supervised by ecologists on site from Aspect Ecology.
There would be a nesting survey undertake at dawn before any felling took place.
Any nest found to be active would be safeguarded until the chicks had been reared.
The company also said that an ecologist would carry out a ground survey for dormice on the site before work started.
Tunbridge and Wells council's planning department declared itself satisfied with the explanation from Countryside.
The answer has not satisfied residents however, with Amy Couchman among many insisting: "There are nests in those trees!"
But Countryside told Paddock Wood Town Council: "To date an informal daytime assessment has observed a number of old and inactive pigeon nests to be present, which may be what residents are referring to."
Countryside Properties has planning permission to build 300 homes on the site.
It is not the first time the company has fallen foul of residents after chopping down trees on the site.
The firm caused uproar when it felled trees in Church Road in October last year without planning permission. On that occasion it admitted the move had been premature and blamed an administrative error.
