Can anyone identify this tree ?

[OddCat]

My neighbour has a big tree in the front garden. It's causing damage to my garden wall and drive and it's very near to our houses. We have agreed that it needs to go but if we have it cut down and kill the roots will it cause subsidence? Has anyone else had this?

It looks like a sessel oak.

^ sorry that should be sessile.

Thank you- it's a lovely tree but so close to our houses. We're worried that the roots are damaging our foundations, but if we get rid of it then we'll end up with subsidence.

You'd need a specialist to advise, they will know how deep your foundations are likely to be and the depth of the roots - usually between 1m-2m for a sessile oak I believe. Whether it causes a problem with your foundations depends on lots of things including the type of soil you have. How tall is the tree?

It's taller than my house and we have clay soil. I've been googling and am quite worried now.

Isn't that a hornbeam

I'll post a couple more pictures. It produces berries and spiked little nuts

Another picture

It doesn't look at all like our hornbeams. I'd also have said sessile oak.

can we also see the bark on the main trunk

It's Dave.

It's not a hornbeam, hornbeam leaves are more like beech tree leaves. With those flowers it's not a sessile oak. Are you sure those flowers are on that tree and not another one growing near it?

Flowers definitely belong to the tree

It is definitely not a sessile oak with that Bark

Agreed. That bark is very reminiscent of a sorbus family tree and so are the flowers but the leaves are wrong.

I wonder if its a type of whitebeam. The leaves don't look quite right but very similar and the flowers and bark are right

OP are the nuts like this?

I wonder if its a type of whitebeam. The leaves don't look quite right but very similar and the flowers and bark are right

I know what you mean, but the OP said it had spiky nuts. I'm confused as I'd have said something related to the sorbus family as well.

Yes the spikey nuts don't fit but otherwise my money is on Swedish whitebeam which has lobed leaves. OP are you sure the "nuts" aren't coming from somewhere else.

I think it might be an alder? the fruit on those could just about be described as spiky.

ALder fruit

floraloctopus yes they are the nuts. Not as spikey as I thought- sorry for the red herring

I reckon it's Swedish Whitebeam - Sorbus Intermedia.
www.tree-guide.com/swedish-whitebeam

Either way its an established tree which if its taller than your house OP is a thriving ecosystem home to numerous forms of wildlife. Please find a way to avoid cutting it down if you can.

It really matches the Swedish Whitebeam well. I'm confused by the 'spiky nuts'

OP is the bark like this?