Tree lovers plead with council not to fell tree

Bournemouth resident David King, of Durdells Gardens in Bear Cross, bought a two-foot tall tree from a car boot sale in Canford Magna in 2006. 

After planting it behind the council-owned home he lives in, he has since gone on to care for, water and love the tree that is now about 30ft tall. 

But on June 1, he was sent a letter from BCP Council alerting him that contractors would be round on during mid-June to fell it. 

LOVED: Both residents have come to cherish the approximately 30ft tall tree (Image: Daily Echo)

The 75-year-old said: “I’ve grown to love this tree, I always keep an eye on it and I water it and I do not believe in cutting down a perfectly healthy tree. 

“They say it is causing a lot of problems with the building, but nobody has come round and has dug up to see what the roots looks like or where they’re going. 

“Bournemouth council sent me a letter on June 1 telling me they will send contractors round to cut down the tree on June 13. 

But then the very next day, on June 5, the contractors came round to cut it down. I told them 'no, they can’t do this, or if they start to, I will call the police'.” 

Eventually, the contractors did back down over what Mr King, a self-described "tree lover", said was a “mistake”. 

But he refuses to accept the tree needs to be cut down, and has even asked for a tree preservation order (TPO) which would protect the tree from deliberate damage and destruction. 

“But [the council] won’t put a protection order on it because they say it’s too close to the foundations of the building and so it needs to come down,” he said. 

Mr King’s lodger Carol Murleys said she “absolutely loves” the tree, and that she would be “absolutely devastated” if somebody were to chop it down. 

“I love all the countryside, nature and the trees and would be heartbroken if it was to be removed,” Carol said. 

BCP Council spokeswoman said the authority sympathises with Mr King's feelings towards the tree, but stressed the tree is going to cause problems to the home in the future.

She said: “We appreciate the crucial role trees play in benefitting our natural environment, and the council only remove healthy trees in exceptional circumstances.

“Whilst we sympathise with the tenant’s desire to retain this tree, an assessment by our arboricultural team has shown that it is too large for its current location.

"The branches of this young Cypress tree are growing against the building, and this situation will continue to get worse as the tree matures.

“On this occasion pruning of the tree is not a suitable option. Based on this, we have had to give instructions for it to be removed to prevent any structural damage to the property.”