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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

....to report trees being chopped down?

16 replies

Quilty · 17/04/2013 21:45

Our houses back onto a open area of grass with trees, this land is owned and maintained by the council. House nearby has just had the two big trees behind their house chopped down - these trees are outside of their property on the council land. All the huge branches have been left exactly as they fell and it just looks like a big, sad mess. They've obviously done this to reduce shade in their back garden which I can understand but it just seems so wrong to destroy them like that especially if they don't have the right to do it.

AIBU to want to report it or should I just keep my nose out?

OP posts:

AnythingNotEverything · 17/04/2013 21:48

How do you know they didn't get permission?

TheDevilsGherkins · 17/04/2013 21:50

Report it.

olivertheoctopus · 17/04/2013 21:51

If its council land and the chopped down trees are making a nuisance then call the council to complain about that. I wouldn't get into who cut them down and whether they had permission or not.

willyoulistentome · 17/04/2013 21:51

I'd keep RIGHT out of it. They can't stick them back up again, and the council will notice soon enough.

Original poster

Quilty · 17/04/2013 21:53

Friend works for council and he said if it had been done properly they wouldn't have left all the branches like that - health and safety.

OP posts:

frumpet · 17/04/2013 21:57

If the trees have a TPO (tree preservation order) on them , then whoever cut them down can be in serious trouble with possible thousands of pounds in fines .
The trees may have been diseased though even if they looked healthy , produced leaves etc and may have been cut down for a safety reason .
How big were the trees ?

Timeforabiscuit · 17/04/2013 21:58

I would report to the council, some trees are covered by a tree protection order to stop them being hacked about by an enthusiast with a chainsaw - a letter from the council might make them stop and think next time.

Deffodil · 17/04/2013 22:00

I would not keep out of it. I really hate trees being chopped down.
Someone was on here complaining about flowers being picked for Mothers day,or something,from public land. Trees? Report!!

gobbin · 17/04/2013 22:08

Yes report it. One of our neighbours noticed another doing some dodgy chopping on the basis that the strip of land was his. They suspected it wasnt't.

They were right. The resulting fuss actually benefitted the community as it turned out that the strip of land was the remainder of a much larger piece of woodland which had been gifted to the council, but not this strip. It was still in private ownership.

It took ages to convince the old landowner to give it to the council as it was useless on its own, but he did eventually.

The original dodgy chopper got rapped over the knuckles by the council. It also prompted them to do a TPO survey in our street - we now have a TPO on a tree in our front garden as a result, but we don't mind.

Original poster

Quilty · 17/04/2013 22:31

But if the trees had been cut down for disease etc then there's no way it would be left in the mess that's there now.

They were mature birch trees so pretty big trees. There is a flock of goldfinches that used them to roost in last summer. Yes i know they'll find another tree but I'm just annoyed that people have no care for wildlife :(

Think i might give council a call in the morning.

OP posts:

HappieBunnie · 17/04/2013 22:51

Have they chopped down the whole tree, or just the bits overhanging their garden? If it is the overhanging bits, then they have the right to do this. I could be wrong, but I think they also have to leave the bits they have cut, otherwise it is technically theft.

YohedYoshoulderYonisandYotoes · 17/04/2013 22:55

If it is on council land and they didn't a. get permission and/or b. use council-approved contractors the planning dept and the tree officer would be pretty annoyed. Most council trees need permission to be cut down.

If they cut down a tree with nests in it, they could also get in trouble for that.. Worth asking..

If you 'complain' about the 'work done by the council' it will flush it out -

Original poster

Quilty · 18/04/2013 11:31

They've just chopped all the branches off, leaving the main trunk standing with the fallen branches leaning against it as they fell, doesn't look like anyone has any intention of tidying it up so I guess eventually the council will have to pay to get it sorted. From what I saw, it looked like it was being done as quickly as possible as they knew they shouldn't be doing it. Looks like a sad tree massacre sigh

OP posts:

ImTooHecsyForYourParty · 18/04/2013 11:33

Did you phone the council?

echt · 18/04/2013 11:38

Take photos, Phone the council. I do this all the time in Oz. If they've got permits, the yes comes back, if not, then the councildoes nothing--/shit hits the fan.

Do the right thing.

Original poster

Quilty · 18/04/2013 12:08

Yes I gave them a ring and they said they need to check with the tree officers to find out whether it was permitted or not by the state its been left in I highly doubt it!
Didn't think of taking a photo, good point thanks. Will have to see if I can get one from the upstairs window, don't really want to be seen doing that!

OP posts:

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