Mature oak tree 'illegally' felled by council

Residents living near the stump of a felled oak tree have accused their council of illegally chopping it down.

The English oak, on Washford Road in Meole village, Shrewsbury, was cut down at the end of October.

Councillor Bernie Bentick described it as "an act of environmental vandalism" and claimed it was carried out illegally because residents were not consulted.

Shropshire Council denied the decision broke the law as, in correspondence seen by the BBC, they claimed it was taken before the law changed.

A new oak tree will be supplied to the village as a "gesture of goodwill", councillor Dan Morris said.

The council approved the felling in November 2023, several weeks before a change in the law which stated local highway authorities must consult members of the public before felling a tree on an urban road.

The authority decided to remove the oak, which was not protected by a preservation order, because a nearby resident had periodically complained about how close it was to their house since 2015.

Tree officers for the Conservative-led council also reported that a nearby sweet chestnut tree had been planted too close to the English oak but they decided to keep the newer tree as they deemed it "the optimal specimen".

An attempt was made to fell the oak in March but delayed until October due to the discovery of nesting birds.

"This has caused huge consternation in the village and I've received lots of complaints about it," said Liberal Democrat councillor Bernie Bentick.

"I've been absolutely shocked by the arrogance of the the trees and highways departments at Shropshire Council in completely ignoring local people and felling a mature oak tree in the middle of our community.

"I feel very sad that part of the lungs of Meole village, that soak up carbon emissions, has been felled without any regard."

Bentick argued the council illegally chopped down the oak tree because it failed to follow a change in legislation, which became law on 30 November 2023, which requires a consultation on the felling of street trees in England.

In the correspondence seen by the BBC, the authority disagreed the law had been broken, claiming the decision to fell the tree was taken by the highway officer "prior to the new duty coming into force".

Village resident Andy Marpole said the tree "should be here after we've gone, our children have gone and our grandchildren have gone".

"It should be here for hundreds of years but it won't be because of council incompetence.

"The felling of the Sycamore Gap tree was deemed a criminal act and I don't see what the difference is here."

In a statement read out by the council's portfolio holder for highways, councillor Morris, at Wednesday's cabinet meeting, he said: "The officers who took the decision to fell the oak tree were acting in good faith to resolve the long running issues that a resident was raising.

"As a gesture of goodwill, the tree team leader will be able to supply a new oak tree to be planted at an appropriate location in the village."

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