79-year-old UK grandmother refuses to sell garden for $60m road project

A 79-year-old grandmother in Herefordshire, UK, is refusing to sell part of her garden for a major road project that could bring a 60mph route close to her home. Jean Harris, a retired school secretary and piano teacher, has point-blank refused to negotiate over the land needed for the proposed Southern Link Road, now being developed as Phase 1 of the Hereford Western Bypass. The project is expected to cost more than £45 million, roughly $60 million, and would require a portion of Harris's garden. Harris says she is determined to protect the wildlife around her home and a neighbouring ancient oak tree that she believes is around 500 years old. She also fears the road could affect the value and peaceful surroundings of the home where she has lived since 2003. With the council pursuing land acquisition for the scheme, Harris faces the possibility of losing part of her garden even though she has refused to sell it voluntarily.Why the 79-year-old grandmother is refusing to sell her gardenJean Harris lives in a three-bedroom bungalow in Allensmore, Herefordshire, which she bought in 2003. The retired school secretary and piano teacher has two grown-up children and three grandchildren, a...