Peterborough: Campaigners fight to save 600-year-old oak

The 600-year-old oak tree was causing structural damage to homes nearby, the council said

Campaigners trying to save a 600-year-old oak tree say they believe council plans to fell it are illegal.

Peterborough City Council said the tree in Ringwood, Bretton, was causing "structural damage" to nearby homes.

The Trees of Peterborough Facebook group said legal advice from its solicitor was that the council was in breach of the Environment Act 2021.

The authority said it was a "difficult decision" to fell the tree but it had "explored all other options".

Bretton resident and campaigner Richard Elmer said: "This tree has survived Henry VIII felling trees to build boats.

"It escaped Henry VIII but it might not escape Peterborough City Council."

He added that the council had rejected all attempts to save the tree, including a local company which had offered to install root barriers at cost price to protect homes.

'24-hour watch'

Mr Elmer, who lives on the same road as the tree, said the street "feels like a war zone, since so many of the trees in the street have been removed".

"Are we leaving anything for future generations?" he asked.

"We have got a 24-hour watch on it; we've got it ring fenced."

Peterborough City Council said the tree had likely caused subsidence in nearby properties

As owners of the tree, the local authority was financially responsible for damage caused by its roots, a council spokesperson said.

"Any alternative to felling could cost the council hundreds of thousands of pounds in repairs and legal fees," they said.

"This would mean the council would have no money to plant additional trees in the city or maintain its existing tree stock."

The spokesperson said a range of alternative options had been looked at, including root barriers and extensive pruning, but they "were not accepted by the insurance company as a feasible solution".

It said it had works had been scheduled to fell the tree on Tuesday.

The council planned to plant 100 young oak trees later this year "to mitigate against the environmental impact of this decision", the spokesperson said.