Reporting a neighbour AIBU?

[Rhayader]

Our neighbours have recently had their garden landscaped. They have chopped down 5 mature native trees and replaced them with palm trees.

We live in a conservation area and these trees were protected. I want to report them to the conservation area but DH says I’m being ridiculous. AIBU?

Don’t want to drip feed: these trees are on a planning application from the same neighbour 5 years ago where they have sought permission to trim them back 20% each so there is an official record of their existence. I believe you can get a fine for chopping down trees here (London).

Report them! That’s disgraceful.

Yes, report them. You never know what they will do next... Conservation areas exist for a reason, as do TPOs.

It feels petty to report them. What can actually be gained from it other than frosty relations?

Vandals, report them

Yes I would they should not have done this.

Hopefully they will get a stonking big fine for destroying natural, native environment - as they should. Those trees will have been breeding areas for many, many native birds, which palms trees will not replace.

Why do you want to report them?

Vandals is right.

Report them.

How awful.

@Aswad

Why do you want to report them?

To stop them doing it again? To set an example and act as a deterrent for anyone contemplating doing something like this?

Why does anyone report any crime?

Thanks all, I’ll have a look on the conservation area website and see how to go about it. Tbh it is particularly upsetting for them to do it at this time of year because of nesting.

Did they cut them down themselves or employ someone, does it make a difference if it's a tree feller who did it, who would get fined.

@Eachpeachpears

It feels petty to report them. What can actually be gained from it other than frosty relations?

It might prevent other twats from chopping down lovely trees. That's what's to gain.

@DogsSausages

They had contractors in to do it. I didn’t realise that they might be the ones to get fined.

[quote Rhayader]@DogsSausages

They had contractors in to do it. I didn’t realise that they might be the ones to get fined.[/quote]
Either way, the contractors should know to check for TPOs etc.

The tree feller should have checked for permissions before he did the job. If he didn’t he deserves a fine too.

I think its absolutely crap what they have done, but reporting them won't put it right sadly
Maybe a response would to be to put in some large specimens for habitat in your garden, preferably where it'll block their sun

If the council find that the TPO was breached; they may also require the type of tree that was removed to be reinstated?

Well I hope you never intend to sell your house, as you’ll need to declare a dispute with your neighbour.
What do you hope to achieve exactly? They can’t magic them back.
What they did was wrong, but I think you’ll get yourself into a lot of bother.

I’d report too. It’s not about being petty. It’s because people do this stuff because there are no consequences. A fine might deter them or someone else in future. Well worth it.

Why do people move to these places if they don’t want to, er, conserve?

@Suzi888

I'm pretty sure an anonymous report to the council about the trees won't count as a neighbour dispute.
I'm sure other people can see the trees too, not just the OP.

Someone declaring that they’d reported a neighbour for chopping down trees would not deter me from buying a house, btw. Especially if the outcome was that it was addressed.

Crikey - trees have preservation orders for a reason!

@Suzi888

We rent anyway

Maybe they thought you wouldnt care as you rent but I would report it, the feller should have checked.

I would guess around 8 houses could see the trees and they were also visible from a road. Their house is second in a row of houses, so the road that is perpendicular to our road is only one garden width away.