Outrage as council decides to cut down 'iconic' 200-year-old tree
Villagers have slammed a decision to axe a 200-year-old beech tree after conflicting reports on its condition.
Doncaster Council approved the felling of the tree in Hampole after a tree surgeon's report deemed it unsafe. However, earlier assessments from a tree consultancy, only made public after the initial consultation, suggested the tree could have been saved.
Parish Clerk James Robinson expressed residents' outrage over the decision to axe the tree, which has been described as an "icon of Hampole."
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The removal application was first announced in July, with no additional information available online at the time. Five residents objected, four supported, and two remained neutral.
After the July 31 consultation deadline, the council said the application would be discussed by the planning committee. More information was later published online, including two Sewlyn Trees assessments from February and March.
These reports stated that, although diseased, the tree could be maintained with pruning and was generally safe. In September, another firm, Gloaming Tree Surgery, sent a letter backing the tree's felling and disclosed that they had inspected it in the summer months.
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The correspondence highlighted the diagnosis of two diseases attacking the tree, posing a serious hazard to local inhabitants.
During this period, nine additional letters from residents were put forward, with just one being neutral while the others resisted the felling proposal.
Planning authorities issued approval for the tree's removal on October 1, sidestepping committee scrutiny by classifying the situation as pressing based on the arborist's findings. The judgement text declared: "The tree is suffering from Kretzschmaria deusta and Ganoderma infections, both of which significantly weaken its structural integrity and increase the risk of failure.
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"It's recommended by specialists that the tree should be cut down to eliminate the threat of collapse."
Following the tree's removal, there are plans to plant a fresh beech in its stead.