Council blasted as 200-year-old trees cut down
THE council has been blasted after a pair of large, 200-year-old pine trees were cut down - when preservation orders were not secured in time.
Anne Hopley, 70, first told Cheshire East Council of the trees at her parents’ house, on South Park Drive, Poynton, and the need to protect them in July 2019.
Her father Melvyn had already passed away and when her mum Noelle also sadly died in early 2020 the property was put on the market. At this point Anne again contacted the council’s arboricultural department to say the need for an order was more pressing.
But by December the council admitted ‘ unforeseen circumstances’ meant it had not been completed and - with no legal impediment in place - the trees have been chopped down.
Anne said: “They have blown it - I don’t know what ‘unforeseen circumstances’ covers from June but I feel very let down.
“My parents would be horrified, they spent 40 years looking after them and it has been thrown in their faces.
“It cost £1,000 a time for a tree surgeon to come but it was worth it.
”I’m absolutely gutted, they are part of our heritage.
“People would walk past and stop and look, everyone loved them.
“They were chock full of birds and one had buzzards’ nests.
“I want to highlight how the council sat back and did nothing.”
Initially a preservation order was seen unnecessary while the house was in Anne’s family as they were committed to looking after the trees.
She contacted the arboricultural department again when the house was to be sold.
Anne says the council sent someone to inspect the trees in June who then said the preservation order for both pines would be done in two weeks.
But she heard nothing and in December learned the trees were under threat so got desperately back in contact. It proved too late as the trees went just before Christmas.
In response to Anne’s urgent plea an arboricultural officer emailed her on December 7 to say: “We do intend to protect the two Pine trees at the front of the property but due to unforeseen circumstances we have been unable to complete the order to date.
“I will discuss with my colleague the possibility of progressing the matter as soon as is possible.
“Thank you for your patience and please understand the challenges we are currently experiencing are resulting in delays to all aspects of our work.”
A Cheshire East Council spokesperson said: “Cheshire East Council’s team of tree officers within the planning service cover a variety of work and have always had to prioritise their actions.
“The working arrangements, and associated constraints, put in place in response to Covid-19 has impacted on service delivery and further prioritisation has been necessary.
“Prior to March 2020, this request for a tree preservation order was considered a priority along with a number of similar requests. Unfortunately, we were not able to progress this matter as speedily as we would have liked.”