Cotswold tree ‘causing sleepless nights’ to be chopped down
The council placed a tree preservation order (TPO) on the tree at Corner Cottage at Church Westcote near Stow-on-the-Wold in March
A tall tree which has been “causing sleepless nights” for a Cotswold homeowner will be chopped down.
Cotswold District Council placed a tree preservation order (TPO) on an 82-ft Corsican pine at Corner Cottage at Church Westcote near Stow-on-the-Wold in March.
But residents objected amid concerns the tree is leaning and could fall causing harm to people or damage the property around 26ft away.
They also said it was causing anxiety to resident Mary Lewis and the non-native tree contains dead wood.
Her son David Lewis, who is a chartered forester, spoke at the planning committee meeting on August 13.
He said the main reason for objecting to the TPO is to do with its long term stability and his mother’s safety.
“This is a big tree weighing several tonnes,” he said. “It is very close to the house and certainly within falling distance.
“It also leans towards the house, if it were to blow over in the wind it would likely land on the house.
“She has become so concerned about the tree and the way it moves in the window that she moves out of her usual bedroom and sleeps at the other end of the house when the wind blows fiercely.
“I don’t believe she should have to suffer this anxiety every time there is a warning of a storm.”
He said several years ago a large cypress tree in the boundary of the house blew over into her neighbour’s garden.
And last December, four poplar trees on a nearby property also blew over, he said.
“These trees had no visible defects and would have probably classed as an acceptable risk using the valid assessment the council use,” he said.
“I would argue in my capacity as a professional adviser that this tree with its defects, its high risk location should be considered as a moderate risk and not an acceptable risk and that action should be taken to remove this risk.”
The council’s tree officer said the tree was healthy in their report with no signs of disease or dysfunction.
It is also deemed a feature in the Cotswold skyline and it has sufficient space to grow for another 20 years.
He explained the tree leans because it grew alongside another tree which was removed with permission in 2020.
Councillor Daryl Corps (C, Moreton West) said he hated suggesting they lose a tree anywhere in the Cotswolds.
But he felt it was justified on this occasion.
“We have a duty of care for somebody who’s suffering from anxiety about a tree,” he said.
“A tree that’s causing somebody sleepless nights and causing somebody stress about this tree in her garden, that we can do something about it.
“I’m not trying to trivialise it, it’s just one tree, but it is just one tree.
“There are lots of other trees in the village as well.”
Councillor Patrick Coleman (LD, Stratton), who proposed that the TPO not be kept, said the council had an overriding responsibility for wellbeing and safety of people in the district.
He said it would be prudent to make an exception given that something will replace that tree and that climate change is leading to more extreme weather.
This was seconded by Cllr Ray Brassington (LD, Four Acres) and the committee voted to refuse the officer’s recommendation by three votes to one with three abstentions.
This means the TPO is not allowed.