Hugh and Judith Pratt’s application to fell a mature ash tree on Guinea Street has been refused. The Council stated that the ‘applicants have not presented sufficient evidence that the tree has ash dieback disease, nor have they demonstrated that, if it does have ash dieback disease, this means it is necessary to remove the tree.’
The case officer stated: ‘We have received 36 objections from members of the public and the tree is clearly much appreciated in the neighbourhood. The tree is of very high value in the local landscape, being a dominant feature in its section of the street and visible from the harbourside.’ The tree is covered by a tree protection order, and we are delighted that it will continue to be a feature of our local neighbourhood.
Update
Subsequent to the Council refusal to allow the felling of the tree, a report commissioned by Redcliffe West Residents Association was made available. Chris Watson an arboricultural consultant from Bartlett Consulting reported: ‘At the conclusion of my visual tree assessment, the ash tree appears to be in good health with no signs of Ash Dieback present within the canopy of the tree.’