The government planning inspector will now decide if a century old pine tree in Tilehurst should get chopped down.
Resident of Cecil Aldin Drive, Brian Nunan, has lodged the appeal after West Berkshire Council refused him permission to fell the tree.
He says it keeps damaging his car and property. The council says the pine is a prominent tree of considerable importance to the surrounding area.
“It is a skyline feature, and it is an asset to the urban landscape, adding significantly to the verdant, treed character of the area. It therefore has considerable amenity value,” said the council’s tree officer.
“The application, if approved, would reduce the amenity of the area by denuding it of an important tree and potentially set a concerning precedent for trees in the district,” he said.
The tree – a Monterey Pine – was one of originally 130 pines on site at the time of the making of a tree preservtion order in 1966.
Around 30 remain, and this tree sits as a pair with another immediately to its south.
The pines have been found at an earlier appeal to have “mature form and substantial scale meaning that they dominate the appearance of the area and are significant positive contributors to its overall character”.
Felling one of the pair would leave the other with an “isolated appearance, further fragmenting this valuable group of trees and lessening the extent of tree cover provided by the pines, significantly harming the character and appearance of the area”.
The reasons cited for its removal are; direct damage to parked vehicles from falling cones and branches particularly following damage sustained after storm Eunice in February 2022; and bird excrement.
The applicant says that “the tree is a hazzard [sic] to my mental and physical health”.
The application is accompanied by a Tree Hazard Risk Assessment Report by RMT Tree Consultancy Ltd.
Additional evidence provided with the application includes an invoice for repair work to a vehicle after Storm Eunice, an invoice from November 2024 for windscreen repair (possibly related to Storm Bert), and undated photos of damage to vehicle bodywork and windscreens.
The damage from the time of both storms seems to have resulted from falling debris such as cones and small branches, when the cars concerned were parked on the drive beneath the tree.
At the time of inspection there were no signs of disease or significant structural defect, which would present an immediate risk of failure.
“Bird excrement is a seasonal nuisance and can vary over time,” added the tree officer. “The fact that birds roost or nest in trees and cause this type of nuisance, is not a sound arboricultural reason to fell the trees concerned.
“Falling debris is a seasonal rather than legal, nuisance: It could be managed by other means such as removing the cones and deadwood, reducing the crown as above, or by considering erecting a net or canopy over the parking area.”
In his appeal reasoning Mr Nunan claims damage to his neighbour’s shed had happened over the summer due to branch drop, and that £3,000 worth of damage was caused to his car, and that his insurance premium had doubled as a result.
He also disputes West Berkshire Council’s claim that bird droppings are ‘seasonal’ and said that he needs to wash his car once a week because of it. He add and he says the council’s suggestion he covers his car with netting is ‘beyond a joke’.
He also says the tree is about 110 years old, and therefore at the end of its life, although admits some can live up to 170 years old. He says all but two of his neighbours want the tree down.
His previous attempts to get compensation from the council have been refused with the matter deemed an ‘act of God’.
