In February, Eddc tree officers accepted an urgent 5 day notice to fell this magnificent 26m beech tree on Oak Road, West Hill.
This was one of the roadside trees which was protected with a TPO, following my direct action in January 2021. (I blocked tree felling on a Saturday in lockdown for long enough that the trees could be protected by TPO).
To suddenly learn this protected beech tree had to be immediately felled due to the presence of a fungus called Kretzshcmaria deusta (Kd), was extremely concerning. Normally any works to TPOed trees requires a formal application, but the 5 day notice effectively bypasses this and should only be used when there is an immediate risk of serious harm arising from a tree.
The proposed felling was particularly concerning as there is a controversial planning application for 23 houses in the adjacent field. This tree is not far from the proposed site entrance.
As soon as I received a copy of the 5 day notice I contacted the Eddc tree officers. I questioned whether the tree really represented such an immediate danger that the owner could bypass the normal application process.
I requested the tree officers urgently inspect the tree. Following their inspection the officers concluded that the presence of Kd did not in fact mean the tree needed to be immediately felled and required the owner submit a full formal application in the usual way.
An application was subsequently submitted. However, the tree officers agreed with my objection to the application and the Parish Council’s own tree report which made it clear the associated risks were in fact low. The application has been rejected with the tree officers concluding that the tree has “many years of safe useful life expectancy before remedial measures are considered necessary”.
This tree forms part of a cherished avenue of trees valued highly by the residents of West Hill and beyond and I am very glad EDDC has not given consent for it to be removed.
The application details can be found here https://planning.eastdevon.gov.uk/online-applications/applicationDetails.do?activeTab=documents&keyVal=RQHRXPGHLOY00
Pic: photo taken in Oak Road, West Hill last year.
Jess Bailey 