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Council sorry for wrongly felling oak tree

BBC Councillor wearing brown trousers, brown jumper and green coat, standing on grass and fallen leaves, pointing to the stump of an oak tree in front of him with a road and hedgerow behind himBBC
Liberal Democrat councillor Bernie Bentick was first elected in 2021

A council has apologised for a "procedural error," which led to a healthy oak tree being cut down.

Residents reacted angrily to the tree in Meole Brace, Shrewsbury, being felled on 25 October.

The decision to chop it down had been taken by Shropshire Council as a resident had complained about it. But a change in the law came into effect last November, meaning councils that maintain highways must consult with the public before an urban tree is felled.

Shrewsbury Liberal Democrat councillor Bernie Bentick described the error as "shocking" and "incompetent".

It is thought the English oak on Washford Road in Meole village was about 40 years old.

The nearby resident had complained for eight years about how close it was to their house.

Tree officers 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".

The damp stump of an English oak tree, around two-feet in diameter, on a grassy verge with a road and red-brick houses in the background.
The oak tree was cut down at the end of October

The council initially argued it had not breached the law because it decided to fell the tree before it had received updated legislation from the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA).

The Conservative-run council's portfolio holder for highways, Dan Morris, stated on Wednesday the officers who took the decision to fell the tree were under no obligation to undertake a consultation.

However, the next day, an email was sent from the planning team to Bentick, apologising unreservedly for the error.

It said, "Whilst the initial decision and instruction to fell was taken prior to the Duty coming into force, it is now apparent that officers should have subsequently reviewed the instruction to Shrewsbury Town Council to fell the tree".

Councillor Dan Morris on a residential road, wearing a brown coat with snow on the ground behind him. He has short, light-brown hair and is clean shaven. A blurred image of a car next to a green verge is behind him with buildings, blurred, in the distance beyond
Councillor Dan Morris became the portfolio holder for highways for the authority in 2023

In an interview after the email had been seen by the BBC, Morris said the technical breach had been brought about by relatively new legislation.

"The officer responsible in the department has apologised and the officers involved are now implementing the new policy."

A new oak tree will be supplied to the village as a "gesture of goodwill", he added.

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