Latest news with #HaringeyTreeProtectors
The Independent
2 days ago
- General
- The Independent
Campaigners fight to save 120-year-old tree from ‘irrational' local council
Campaigners are fighting to save a 120-year-old London Plane tree which the local council is threatening to bring down after a lengthy legal battle. Haringey Council in North London has said the tree on Oakfield Road, Stroud Green, must be removed because it has caused damage to properties nearby. A notification on the felling from the council said 'the tree has contributed to tree root damage to the adjacent properties. Pruning was unsuccessful, and movement of the properties has continued'. Residents now have until 17 June to respond to the notice. Annette Elder, solicitor and member of Haringey Tree Protectors, said the decision from the council was 'completely irrational'. 'Mature trees like the Oakfield plane are vital in urban areas—for cooling, biodiversity, air quality, and residents' wellbeing,' she told The Independent. 'It makes no sense to remove them without robust evidence that they are causing active harm.' The council said the trees have caused subsidence in nearby properties. Subsidence occurs when the foundations of a home become unbalanced due to the ground sinking. This can move walls and floors from their original groundwork and cause severe damage. Trees can cause subsidence when its roots grow into clay soil and take up enough moisture, which causes the soil to dry out and shrink. Ms Elder told The Independent claimed that the owners of the two houses affected by the subsidence have reached agreements with their insurance companies to pay for repairs on the house, so there was no need to fell the trees. 'There's no clear evidence that the tree poses a real or immediate threat—especially once underpinning takes place,' Ms Elder added. 'Even Haringey's own Tree and Woodland Plan states that trees should not be removed or pruned solely because of a potential or perceived future subsidence risk. 'We believe this is a completely irrational decision. 'If you follow this logic, almost every street tree in the area could be considered a risk. Are we going to fell them all?' Ms Elder said there are reportedly around 200 active insurance claims in the borough relating to potential tree-related subsidence. 'Subsidence is a wider issue—climate change, increased heat, and flooding all contribute to greater soil movement, particularly in clay areas,' she said. 'It's precisely because of climate change that councils, including Haringey, have pledged to increase canopy cover.' A Haringey Council spokesperson said: 'We are currently consulting on a proposal to remove the tree. 'The court ruled in 2024 that a previous decision by the council to remove the tree was lawful and has refused permission to bring an appeal against this. We are undertaking a further consultation in view of new statutory requirements that have come into force since that decision. 'Our proposal is based on consideration of the evidence submitted on behalf of the owners of the properties. 'We will carefully consider all the feedback we receive, including any new information or changes of circumstances, before coming to a final decision on the future of the tree.'
BBC News
3 days ago
- General
- BBC News
Stroud Green plane tree faces axe again over root damage claims
A 120-year-old plane tree in north London, which has been under threat of being felled for the past three years, is once again facing the axe. Haringey Council says the tree on Oakfield Road, Stroud Green, needs to be removed as it is causing damage to nearby properties. The council has given residents until 17 June to respond to its Gio Iozzi, who is among those fighting to save it, said: "It feels like the tree is still the fall guy in this situation and it is just morally, ethically, environmentally wrong.""This healthy tree has been implicated in damage... it has been blamed for all the other factors that contribute to subsidence in houses," she added. She told BBC London that insurers had recently agreed to finally pay for the work on the two houses affected by subsidence, meaning there was "no need to fell this tree".Dr Iozzi added: "There is no rationale now for the council to want to fell the tree and yet they're intending to push forwards with felling this tree."We feel like this is madness, we need these big canopy trees they are so important for our health, our lungs." In its consultation, the council said the tree had "contributed to tree root damage to the adjacent properties, pruning was unsuccessful, and movement of the properties has continued".But environmental campaign group Haringey Tree Protectors told the Local Democracy Reporting Service these claims were unsubstantiated. It has urged people to send in their views so the council can "understand how the public feel about protecting their mature street trees".Dr Iozzi said poor foundations, clay soil movement, droughts or floods could also be contributing to issues with the homes' foundations and she believed there was not enough evidence to support the tree's removal."Trees should not be felled just in case there is the potential of damage to houses in the future," she said."If this logic is followed, all trees in Haringey would need to be felled just in case." Local resident Andrew Brenner, who lives opposite the tree, told BBC London: "If you take down a tree on the off-chance that it's going to cause a problem in the future, that could lead to every single tree on every tree-lined street in London being taken out."I think it's a real risk that we're going to lose lots of trees for no reason except that it's to prevent some future possible problem."A Haringey Council spokesperson said it was undertaking the latest consultation in view of new statutory requirements that had come into force."Our proposal is based on consideration of the evidence submitted on behalf of the owners of the properties," the spokesperson said the council would consider all feedback before making a final decision.
