Gas company in Reading must pay over £2,700 for cutting tree along Kennet Path
A gas company in Reading has paid over £2,700 for cutting down a tree along the River Kennet without permission.
Southern Gas Networks (SGN) has paid £2,713 for chopping the tree down to size without permission from Reading Borough Council.
The horse chesnut tree, located on the Kennet Path and near the Cholmeley Road car park, was cut down quite some time ago in March 2021, but that didn’t stop councillor Josh Williams (Green, Park) noticing the works.
Reading Borough Council was alerted to the unauthorised work and has subsequently approached SGN, which has paid compensation to the council.
Cllr Rob White (Green, Park), the council’s new leader of the opposition, said: “SGN were doing some gasworks in March 2021 and the Kennet Side was closed.
“During this period the tree was cut down.
“After the Kennet Side was reopened eagle eyed Green councillor Josh Williams noticed that a council tree had been disappointingly cut down.
“We have been talking to the council on this since and they recently told us that that SGN had to pay a fine.
“It is good that SGN were fined. We hope this sends a message out that if you cut down council trees you will be fined.”
The Kennet Path was closed from February to March 2021 while it undertook gas equipment upgrade works.
SGN has since apologised for taking the tree down and confirmed its agreement compensate the council.
Dan Brown, a spokesperson for gas company said: “As part of work to demolish the gas holder, abandon old mains and install below ground equipment for the redeveloped land near Kennet Side, we removed a horse chestnut tree due to unforeseen circumstances.
“The tree was felled to safely manoeuvre our crane carrying the equipment being installed during a one-day closure of Cholmeley Road. This was due to the site’s proximity to the River Kennet and the space between other existing trees.
“We sincerely regret the tree had to be taken down.
“As the felling was outside our previous agreement with Reading Borough Council, we agreed to compensate the local authority for the value of the tree.”
Additionally, a Reading Borough Council spokesperson said: “Following the unauthorised removal of a tree on Council land by SGN contractors, SGN reimbursed the value of the tree to the Council, which will be used for the planting of replacement trees in future.
“SGN assured the Council that future works would take account of any legal requirements around the removal of trees.
“Similarly, we would use this opportunity to remind everyone to take the time to ensure they do not undertake tree works without the necessary permissions that may be required owing to Tree Protection Orders or location in a conservation area, for example.”
Work took place to dismantle the town’s iconic gas tower was dismantled in March this year.
The gas tower will be replaced with 130 apartments in Carson Road.
The aparments will be built across three towers, with a nine-storey building, a five-storey building, and a two-storey building.