chopping down trees

[bodsier]

Hi everyone

There seems to be a mass chopping down of beautiful old trees in the area by a company called Grimswood and Toms. They chopped a plum tree in our street today which is a conservation area, and proposed to chop another under the premise that they are diseased. Both trees produced an abundancce of fruit this summer, yet they said they were both dead. My partner asked them to show him where it was diseased, and they then said oh actually we cant see any disease. He stood beneath the tree refusing them access, and they left it alone. I have just seen 5 lovely huge trees on Elmwood Road with signs on them all looking like they are next for the chop. They all seemed perfectly fine to me. It could be that they are just pruning them, but I am not presuming anything after today's incident. Don't they need planning permission before chopping trees in a conservation area? Tomorrow the elmwood road trees are due to major works, Perhaps its worth investigating if you are around tomorrow, particularly tree surgeons who know a little about this. It would be such a shame to lose these trees. If you live on the Elmwood road even better. Perhaps you can let everyone on the forum who can come down support you on this. Or contact Grimswood and Toms on 0845 873 1500 to voice your complaint and try and stop this if it is unnecessary. Councillors, the council. Anyone?

[ianr]

You need to be asking the council for information, don't you? Elmwood Road doesn't seem to be on the pull-down menu for conservation areas on the planning applications search page http://planningonline.southwarksites.com/planningonline2/AcolNetCGI.exe?ACTION=UNWRAP&RIPNAME=Root.pgesearch . More information on Southwark and trees at http://www.southwark.gov.uk/site/scripts/google_results.php?q=trees.

[cate]

Think it is Gristwood and Toms and they do a lot of work for Southwark Council. Their trucks are everywhere. Have you thought of calling them?

[Ramble66]

Are they chopping them down completely or pollarding them?

Call these guys tomorrow.

[bodsier]

THAnks for the advice. Was planning to, was just hoping to get a tree surgeon on board. It Would help. ANY TREE SURGEONS THAT CAN HELP PLEASE CONTACT ME. Wanted to contact the council and the company with some sound information and knowledge about such matters. Would carry so much more weight.

[catalpa]

This case sounds very sad if it is a healthy and productive plum tree, i wish you the best of luck in saving them. Definitely call the Council and ask to speak to the Tree Officer - Tree Officers love trees and Councils don't usually cut down healthy trees unless they have become diseased or members of the public have campaigned to get them cut down - this does happen, not everyone wants trees on their streets, strange but true. Also try to call the Arboricultural Association 01794 368 717, [email protected] who can assist with campaigning to save trees. However, the tree may have been diseased - it's not always easy to see whether a tree is diseased at first glance and sometimes you have to remove them otherwise they will become dangerous. Work has to be done on trees in Autumn/Winter so that birds are left undisturbed in Spring and Summer - this is probably why you are seeing so many signs on trees. GOOD LUCK!

[James Barber]

Hi bodsier,

Southwark Council Cabinet member responsible for trees is Cllr Barrie Hargrove [email protected]

He's just about to release a Southwark Council Tree Strategy. I've given my intial feeback. Weirdly the Strategy didn't include all the recommendation of the tree scrutiny report chaired by Barrie from two years ago. Overall it appears the better than replacement rate of tree planting of recent years wont be met.

[pebbles]

Trust me, Southwark Council don't cut down trees lightly. I'm a huge fan of trees but not when the tree on the road is ruining both ours and our neighbours houses. However no amount of proof and conversation with the council has sorted this problem for us. i'm confused as to how trees can be more important than houses!!!

Our road has just had the trees pruned and the notes on the trees said "major works" so don't panic about Elmwood Road. My mum however lives on Elmwood Road and I'm visiting her this morning so I will make sure to speak to them if I see anything major.

[James Barber]

I've just checked my records and Southwark for the last four financial years have planted 400 trees - mostly replacements.

In East Dulwich we've planted around 30 trees every year for the last 4 years via Cleaner, Greener, Safer devolved funding and are about to do the same for this financial year.

[Marmora Man]

pebbles Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

Trust me, Southwark Council don't cut down trees lightly. I'm a huge fan of trees but not when the tree on the road is ruining both ours and our neighbours houses. However no amount of proof and conversation with the council has sorted this> problem for us. i'm confused as to how trees can be more important than houses!!!

Trees seem to arouse irrational feelings in some people. They are fabulous, living plants but they are not unique and can be regenerated.

Many years ago I lived in the Lickey Hills, south of Birmingham. These hills were covered in literally 100's of thousands of Black Pine trees. My house had several in and around the garden. Two huge 100 ft + black pines were within 5 feet of the front door, leaning at what I considered a dangerous angle and lifting the pathway to the house. I was about to cut them down when someone reported my plans to the local council - overnight the two trees were given "protected status" by the Council's Tree Officer and I could do nothing.

When I appealed and pointed out that the trees could fall onto my sons bedrooms I was told "but it takes a 100 years to grow another tree like yours, they must be more important". I never won my case to chop down the trees but did win an Ombudsman complaint against the council for abusing it's processes.

[i*Rate]

This is addressed to James Barber,

James,

Could I echo Pebble's remarks about Southwark's attitude to their trees. I have cracks in the front of my house which have been worstening over the past eighteen months and, in the professional opinion of my insurance company, they are caused by the tree planted by Southwark on the pavement outside. I have lived in this house for thirty years and I was pleased when this 'ornamental' tree were planted outside, but now I have to watch the front of my house and the rooms inside deteriorated as this tree dwarfs the house and Southwark, so far, will not agreed to any compensation. The situation is about to drag on into the new year and maybe another hot damaging summer. By the way, to add insult to injury the tree surgeons came along this year to prune the tree(opening up the crown and getting rid of any dead growth)- which will of course help it grow even bigger.

Regards.

[dennis]

Sorry to hear of your problems 'pebbles' and 'i*Rate'

I'm a tree hugger too but I don't want them moving in.

I had a meeting with two surveyors yesterday sent by a structural engineering company who are to underpin the front of my next door neighbours house. A Southwark tree has damaged the bay and front wall of his house. I can put my hand into the cracks. Not 100% sure of the course the negotiations have taken but I can find out if it helps. He and another neighbour approached Southwark a few years ago who Pollarded it but refused to remove it. As I recall from a conversation with him last year the engineers had taken core samples up against the house and found tree roots. They were going to court not sure if that happened but it has been settled and (I believe) Southwark are footing the whole bill.

I think the Structural engineers have handled the whole process.

Time is of the essence he mention a case that had been refused by the insurance company as the house owner had left the damage for too long a period before reporting the problem. To cap it all as the property is being underpinned they won't remove the tree so no doubt as it grows it will effect adjoining properties - like mine. Nice tree, wrong location.

http://www.gardenlaw.co.uk

[James Barber]

Hi i*rate,

I've also had similar problems with a Southwark tree so understand how frustrating the Southwark wheels can turn.

If you email me at [email protected] I'll try and help.

I'm afraid its not possible to do much to help from what you've posted.

[melbourne groover]

I am having issues with a Southwark council owned tree in the garden next door (Council flats). It blocks all our light from the garden in the mornings and when I initially discussed getting it trimmed or actually, I offered to pay for a more suitable tree to be put in (It is a self sown sycamore) they said "We never take trees out" but then proceeded to cut down every tree in the garden bar the one causing the problems. Arrggghhh.... Now they are refusing to maintain the tree which is now taller than the houses, and refusing to let us get it done. They don't have the budget to maintain trees not on the road - even though they are on council property but will not let us pay. Entirely ridiculous situation to be in but am not sure what to do now. Does anyone have any suggestions?

[Ruffler]

My understanding is the trees (several large London plane trees) in and around Elmwood road are being pollarded, i.e. pruned, which is done every couple of years.

[bodsier]

Hi James

Thanks for your response. After chopping down one of the plum trees on our street and my partner preventing them from chopping another. I came back yesterday to see them climbing up the second plum tree. They informed me that they were simply pruning the tree, not chopping it down. They had gone back to their offices, to discover that the tree should not have been earmarked for chopping down in the first place. Had my partner not intervened, we would have lost a perfectly healthy tree! How often does this happen I wonder? The words communication and lack spring to mind. Any way you can investigate this?

[millymoll]

Hi, we had a similar experience a few years ago when we came out of the house to find G&T about to cut down the huge

horse chestnut outside. When we asked why it was being cut down and why we hadn't been told, G&T said Southwark are supposed to inform residents of tree cutting and they went away. We contacted the council and they told us the tree was

'probably diseased'. We asked them if they could be sure and they tested the tree, which was fine and is still standing... Councillor Robin Cruickshank seems to be very pro-tree while at the same time very aware of

the problems they can cause so I think she'd be a good (fair) person to contact.

[ironjawcannon]

Re bays falling down.

I have been told that many Victorian bays generally do not have sufficient support at the base and often pull away from the house. When we bought our house we had the bay properly bricked up from beneath. We now have a beautiful huge silver birch just outside, but it is causing no problems.

[lee]

They cut a lovely young tree in Silvester Road this week, it looked healthy to me does anyone knows anything about it?

[Hare]

James,

Do you know if the Tree Strategy includes the support of a volunteer Tree Warden network in the borough? They are so successful elsewhere across the UK that it's really a no-brainer, especially if local people are sufficiently motivated to care about what happens to trees in their neighbourhood. It might also lend itself to sharing of information with communities, minimising the chinese whispers effect about what, for example, Gristwood & Toms are up to and what, exactly, pollarding is and does.

Look forward to hearing.

Oh, and a general point, it's certainly true that trees aren't always planted in the right places but insurance companies do love a good scapegoat so for every tree that is actually threatening a building, about five more are blamed when they don't have anything to do with the problem.

[James Barber]

Hi Hare,

A volunteer tree warden was proposed in the scrutiny report I was helped with two years ago chaired by Barrie Hargrove but the idea does not exist in the tree strategy.

Trees and insurance claims. It is incredibly worrying to have a house movement problem with cracks etc. Sometimes trees are to blame. Sometimes paved over front gardens and sometimes insufficient foundations to start with. Climate change isn't helping with dry weather shrinking ground and foundation supports. Certainly the cheapest short term solution for insurance companies is to see trees chopped down but often not the best long term solution.

It's also not clear whether the replacement rate will be maintained let alone a strategic goal to maximise tree coverage in Southwark.

Rumours abound that the new administration is planning to reduce council tree spend by removing mature expensive to maintain trees, not replacing trees, not keeping up with the renewal rate - but these are rumours which without seeing detailed spending plans in the February council budget are purely conjecture.

[cate]

Heave often happens after a tree is given the chop.

[Ridgley]

I need advice,I have a tree in my neighbours garden and it tend to suck out light coming through my window I have chopped some of the branches down on my side, but it still sucking out a lot of light?

[i*Rate]

Ridgley,

I believe that all that you are allowed to do is cut off any parts of the tree overhanging the fence on your side and then throw them over for your neighbour to dispose of. As for the light problem, I think it depends on if your neighbours is willing to cut down or cut back the tree at their own expense. Are they friend or foe?

Good luck and kind regards.

[Ridgley]

Thanks i*rate he is a elderly genetleman, very pleasent