Latest news with #oakTree
Daily Mail
a day ago
- General
- Daily Mail
Homeowners at war with council over 45ft high 'Jack and the Beanstalk' oak tree as bosses refuse demands to cut it down despite fears it's a 'danger to life'
Homeowners living on a historic road are in a row with the council over a 'Jack and the Beanstalk' oak tree they say is a danger to them. Residents living in the terraced properties in Winchester are surrounded by the 45 foot high tree and have branded the decision to issue a preservation order as 'grotesquely irresponsible'. They claim the oak - which is still relatively young and grew six feet last year - was planted around 50 years ago by a previous resident who thought it was a 'good idea at the time'. But it has continued to rapidly grow to the point that it is now 'out of proportion' to the surrounding properties and totally dominates the small garden it sits in. The current homeowners Orla Williams, 40, and her partner moved into the terraced Grade II Listed home on Canon Street two years ago and applied to have the tree felled. However, the Winchester County Council put a preliminary protection order on it and cited that it was 'appreciated' by the residents on a neighbouring street. The decision has been slammed by neighbours - who live on one of Winchester's 'most prestigious roads' - who said that they are not the ones who will be forced to deal with the repercussions if it were to topple over. The street, where the average house price is more than £600,000, is just yards from Kingsgate Street, and was where Admiral Nelson's mistress Lady Hamilton once lived. The doctor said that after moving in, she was approached by several neighbours who raised concerns about the tree. The mother-of-two said: 'They were concerned that it is getting very large and that it could cause damage to their properties and potentially harm to people if it gets any larger, so they wanted it to be taken down. 'We applied to the council to have it removed and someone came to look at it. '[The tree officer] said that they want to put a tree protection order on it.' The homeowner said that an 'awful lot of detritus' falls from the oak in the autumn and winter, and she is concerned about the droppings which fall down from wildlife like pigeons and squirrels. She added: 'We appreciate that the tree is beautiful but it's the wrong tree in the wrong place. 'It is quite sad to remove something like that but it is only going to get bigger and potentially cause damage to lots of properties which is the main concern. 'The council said they were concerned about removing it because it's one of the only trees in the area. 'All of the local residents seem to be of the opinion that unfortunately, it's the wrong tree in the wrong place.' According to a council report, the tree officer visited Ms Williams' address after receiving notice from the couple that it was due to be felled. After visiting, he found that that tree met the criteria for a provisional protection order, which was issued in February of this year. A Winchester County Council meeting will take place next week to confirm whether or not the order will remain in place. In total nine residents objected to the order. They all live in the centre of the cathedral city on roads which sit just yards away from Winchester College - the country's oldest public school and Rishi Sunak's alma mater. Mark Pocock, a retired resident living on Canon Street, branded the council's decision to protect the tree as 'ludicrous'. 'As trees grow older they become more brittle,' he said. 'If it were to fall and damage properties or persons, I would say the responsibility would be entirely with the council - not the owners of those properties. 'I think putting a tree protection order on is grotesquely irresponsible of the council. 'It could be a danger to property and life.' Nick Goff, 80, moved into his property on the road adjacent to Canon Street just over a year ago. The retired British Airways pilot said he is worried that if the tree continues to go, the roots underneath will damage a medieval wall in his garden, which was built in the Tudor era. Mr Goff said: 'The issue is that in 10 years' time, that will be double the height and double the width. 'It put on six feet last year it it's going to put on another six feet this year.' The homeowner commissioned an independent report from a tree consultancy business who found the oak is still a 'teenager'. The report found that while the tree is in 'good physiological condition', it is 'a large sized tree in a very small area' and so the tree protection order is 'unjustified'. It also said that 'the possibility of longer term damage to the retaining walls and footings of the adjacent properties as entirely foreseeable'. 'Some guy planted this as something to do 40 years ago,' Mr Goff continued. 'Now, we have got Jack and the Beanstalk. It's not a historic tree, it's a silly mistake.' The council report issued ahead of next week's meeting stated that the tree officer believed the concerns raised over the tree were 'speculative'. It said that while it is 'not historic', the tree 'contributes meaningfully to local biodiversity and visual amenity'. The report also stated that it is 'clearly visible' from residents living on a neighbouring private road, where it is 'appreciated'. It added: 'It is also the last significant tree in an area of land between Canon Street and St Swithun's Street, enhancing the character of the conservation area.' Retired resident Graham Rule, 62, said the decision by the local authority was 'irresponsible'. He said: 'We all love trees but that shouldn't be there. 'The people who want the protection order, they don't live here - its totally irresponsible.' Mr Rule said the tree was planted in the early 70s by a former resident. He added: 'Like a lot of things, it seemed like a good idea at the time. 'I'm a huge fan of trees but at the end of the day that tree shouldn't be there.' The conclusion of the tree officer's report stated that if the provisional TPO is not confirmed at the council meeting, it will be 'left vulnerable to being removed'. The report added: 'The removal of this tree will have a detrimental impact on the biodiversity and also character of the conservation area.'
The Independent
4 days ago
- General
- The Independent
Woman in critical condition after oak tree falls on tourists in Venice
A falling oak tree injured a dozen people, including foreign tourists, in Venice on Monday. The 50-year-old tree fell next to a bus stop at Piazzale Roma, the final stop for buses and taxis entering the lagoon city from the mainland, according to city officials. The injured were waiting in a shaded area when the tree fell. The cause of the incident is currently unknown. The most seriously injured was a 30-year-old Italian woman, who was sitting on a wall near the tree with her two small children when the tree fell, Italian media reported. The woman was in critical condition with abdominal injuries, while her children weren't seriously injured and placed under psychological care, according to hospital officials. Another Italian woman in her 50s also was in critical condition after suffering chest injuries. Mapped: Piazzale Roma A video from the scene showed the tree had snapped at the trunk, just above the roots. "The tree was apparently healthy,' Francesca Zaccariotto, the city's top public works official, told the news agency ANSA. She added that the tree was monitored along with others in the city, and there had been no signs indicating a possible collapse. A 60-year-old American was under observation for a head injury, a 70-year-old American suffered facial injuries, and two tourists from Eastern Europe suffered multiple bruises. Four other Italians were slightly injured.
BBC News
27-05-2025
- General
- BBC News
National Grid urged to spare oak tree during pylon works
National Grid has been asked to spare a 300-year-old oak tree threatened by plans to build pylons across oak, known as Henry by residents in Rivenhall, and several smaller trees lie on the planned 114-mile (183km) route between Norwich and councillor James Abbott said nature faced a "very significant threat" in the area of Braintree he National Grid said it was yet to make a final decision about how it would route pylons through Rivenhall. "We continue to make changes to the proposals following the feedback received and our own surveys," a spokesman added. Campaigners feared vast gantries would be installed around Henry while the 50m-high (164ft) pylons were built in Church asked National Grid to adjust the route so the historical tree could be spared the this year, National Grid revealed "minor adjustments and tweaks" would be made to the locations of about 30 sites following feedback. 'Crass solution' Abbott said people should also consider the impact of access roads needed to build the pylons."It's the access roads that pose a very significant threat to those trees and also the clearance swathes," he opposing the pylons plan were dealt a blow in April when a report found they were cheaper than burying cables underground or at said he thought it was a "crass solution" to harnessing more renewable Grid stressed it was listening to communities and more than 13,000 pieces of feedback it received over the wider plan. Follow Essex news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
The Guardian
16-05-2025
- General
- The Guardian
Country diary: Skylarks and swallows bring life to the chambered tomb
Unseen hands have tied coloured ribbons to an oak tree at the foot of a whale-backed hill. Whoever crossed the chalk stream to fasten these pretty streamers in red, blue, gold and white found meaning in this place or with the people who came here before – those unknowables who lugged boulders many times their own weight to the top more than 5,000 years ago. We make the ascent, along a modern processional path between fields of wheat to where they fashioned their mound mausoleum. I dwell, as I invariably do at archaeological sites, on the wild bridge between peoples past and present. There are skylarks here, and when they are not skittering across the ground, they rise and rise. Did they enter neolithic cosmology, these birds that sing their way up to the sun? Was there a part for plants too, the last of the nodding cowslips forming a bouquet to carry into the chambered tomb? Did those people admire the spots and lace webbing on the flickering wings of fritillaries that stay low on the breeze-buffeted hillside? Did they draw inspiration from the black on orange for their art? We come to the mouth of this long barrow, where moderns speculate that those here long ago communed with their dead. A pair of swallows appear to fly out from within, and they are held for a symbolic moment against the wind before tilting into it. Ours is a more prosaic sidestepping of giant stone uprights to enter this prehistoric monument. A Spanish couple step out with 'Very impressive' on their lips, and it is too: the heft and deft craft of shaping massive stones into a tunnel and chambers, each cell partitioned from the 'nave' by a waist-high slab. A gleam emanates from halfway down the tunnel, the side of one stone rubbed shiny by countless fingers. I stretch my arms to their full span, locking my fingers on to the whole boulder. I've lifted some rocks less than a fraction of its size lately, and imagine in this one the weight, sweat and straining of real people. Under the Changing Skies: The Best of the Guardian's Country Diary, 2018-2024 is published by Guardian Faber; order at and get a 15% discount
BBC News
09-05-2025
- General
- BBC News
Stanford-le-Hope oak tree decision delayed by Thurrock Council
The future of an ancient oak tree hangs in the balance after councillors deferred a decision to fell 16ft (18m) tree, which is more than 100 years old, was said to be the cause of subsidence at several properties in Stanford-le-Hope, Essex, according to an despite damage caused to his home, nearby resident Rob Selwyn was among those urging Thurrock Council to spare it the local authority's planning committee chose to delay a final decision on Thursday, saying it wanted more evidence before swinging the axe. Rooted in the grounds of a listed building on South Hill, the tree is protected by a preservation an engineer's report found it was causing "severe damage" to properties in Saffron Close, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service. Mr Selwyn said he preferred lopping the tree and installing a barrier over felling 77-year-old's comments came despite cracks appearing both inside and outside his home."I don't want to see it cut down," he said. "If it's lopped, that would take back the branches and curb its growth."A metal barrier placed between my home and the roots of the tree would also help." The tree survived a previous bid to fell it eight years ago over concerns about Council's planning committee was told that if it did not act this time round, it could be liable for any Conservative ward councillor Barry Johnson said evidence of damage caused by the tree was not a "proven fact".More than 15 objections were also made against the tree's Beaumont, who lives nearby, said the tree was a "landmark for the village"."When you're driving down from the flyover, you know you're home because you can see it, " she said. Her concerns were echoed by Gary Collins, landlord of The Bell pub, who said the village would be lost without added: "There must be another way of solving the problem." In a report made by the council's planning officers, the tree was deemed a "fine specimen that provided a "high level of amenity in the village".However, the report concluded it must be axed."In normal circumstances, its removal would not be permitted," the author wrote."However, it is considered that it is likely that the tree is a contributory factor to the subsidence occurring at the property, and therefore its removal is justified."Planning committee councillors did not follow the recommendations and voted to delay the decision to get more evidence. Follow Essex news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
