Sycamore Gap tree: Site plans are complicated, says MP

The tree is expected to be removed from Sycamore Gap

There are "significant complications" around future plans for Sycamore Gap, a Northumberland MP has warned.

Hundreds of people have suggested ideas for the site, next to Hadrian's Wall, after its beloved tree was felled.

But Hexham MP Guy Opperman said while discussions were ongoing, it was not straightforward as the location is a UNESCO world heritage site.

"In the short term, the National Trust have secured the site and saved seeds," the Conservative MP said.

Northumbria Police launched an investigation after the tree was discovered chopped down on 28 September.

Two people - a 16-year-old boy and a man in his 60s - have been arrested on suspicion of criminal damage and released on bail.

Mr Opperman said he had met with the director general of the National Trust and Lord Parkinson, the government's culture and heritage minister, about the tree, which was planted in the late 1800s.

"We discussed what the National Trust, who own the land, are doing on the site and began to set out a road map for the future," he said.

"We know that this tree belonged to everyone. It symbolised so much. Its loss grieves us, and affects us all in a truly unfathomable way.

"I want to thank the hundreds of people who have got in touch. I am trying to answer everyone but the situation is complex. The National Trust own the land, and it is located in Northumberland National Park.

"Hadrian's Wall itself and the land around it is a UNESCO World Heritage site, which brings significant complications."

The now-felled tree is also drawing in a crowd

It has been confirmed that part of 1,900-year-old Hadrian's Wall was damaged when the tree came down.

Historic England said experts were due to carry out archaeological appraisals to assess the extent of the damage.

"There is ongoing discussion as to the future of the site and a mechanism for the public to add to the hundreds who have already made suggestions of what we do next," Mr Opperman added.

He said both the National Trust and Northumberland National Park were preparing question and answer-style plans.

"Bear with them. This is not simple," he said.

Messages in memory of the tree have filled a dedicated room at The Sill

The National Trust continues to advise that people keep away from the site, which was made famous in the 1991 Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves movie.

Meanwhile, tributes have been left in memory of the tree in a dedicated room at The Sill: National Landscape Discovery Centre in Northumberland.