Outrage at Solihull tree chopper mum as some point out obvious alternative option

Readers have expressed anger at a mum who had a large protected tree illegally chopped down outside her home. Kelly Palmer admitted she paid a tree surgeon an undisclosed sum to remove an Ash tree which was on her driveway at Wiseacre Croft in Shirley, Solihull.

The 40-year-old project manager claimed it bashed against her house and woke her daughter up in the night, causing her to switch her to a different room. She further said it was a nuisance to the entire street and blocked the drains.

But Birmingham Magistrates' Court heard the Ash was protected by a Tree Preservation Order (TPO) in 1995, nearly a decade before Mrs Palmer's home was even built in 2004. The authority had also refused her husband's application to remove it 2017 ruling that it was in good health, provided good visual amenity and there was no justification to take it down.

READ MORE: Mum all smiles as she avoids fine for chopping down giant nuisance tree

Mrs Palmer claimed an unidentified tree surgeon, whose contact details she did not have, came door-knocking in September 2023, told her it had 'Ash die back' and recommended it be chopped down like others had been in the area.

Solihull Council subsequently received an anoymous tipoff that the tree had gone. Palmer pleaded guilty to contravening a provision of the regulations but was handed a conditional discharge on Friday, June 21.

She was ordered to pay £250 in costs and a £26 victim surcharge but was spared a fine and if the mum does not reoffend in the next 12 months she will effectively avoid punishment.

But many readers felt she took the wrong action and some pointed out a seemingly obvious alternative option she could have exercised. One simply said 'trim the tree first' while another echoed the sentiment and commented 'And trimming it wasn't an option? Wrong decision'.

A further reader added: "She should have been fined! The tree was there when she bought the house. The council would have allowed it to be pruned if it actually was touching her windows."

Another said: "You can't just do what you want, regardless of the law. But in her case, it seems you can."

One person expressed concern the case set a bad precedent and boldly claimed: "I've got a tree outside my house without a preservation order so I'm going to arrange for it to be chopped down without fear of reprisals."

Some however sided with Palmer. One remarked: "Well done to her... councils have too much control over our lives. A petty jobsworth in office is secretly fuming."

Others said the blame should lie with the tree surgeon who actually removed it or even the builders who constructed the house so close to the Ash. Meanwhile, some commenting on our Facebook post saw the funny side of the situation. One person quipped: "She couldn't just leaf it alone."