5 ancient trees in Solihull to be axed

A resident believes the Green Party in Solihull has ‘a lot to answer for’ as councillors voted to bring down five ancient trees in a leafy Solihull suburb. Paul Orton, 76, and his wife Vivian, 75, are outraged and believe the trees, one of which partially sits on their land, should be given more time.

At a Solihull planning committee last week, Green Party councillors voted to bring down five ancient trees at 40 Blossomfield Road. An oak, a horse chestnut and three beech trees are said to be suffering from dieback, with falling branches deemed a risk to public safety.

But the Ortons have said they believe that argument to be ‘an absolute fabrication’. Furthermore, they have threatened civil action should the oak tree on the edge of their land be brought down.

‘It’s an utter disgrace’

“It’s an utter disgrace,” Mr Orton said. “The trees should be monitored and looked at in a few years’ time. The process feels rushed – the Green Party has a lot to answer for.”

Mrs Orton agreed: “I just love the trees – the shape of the oak is still maintained. The colours of the beech trees are just incredible, especially at this time of year.”

The trees, some of which could be between 300 and 400 years old, are within the boundary of a block of flats built in 2019 next door to the Ortons’ home. Linda Hughes-Jones, a resident of these flats who won permission to cut the trees down last week, blames the developer for damaging the roots of the trees when building the driveway.

Mrs Orton continued: “You don’t move into a neighbourhood like this if you don’t like trees. Those flats have been there for three years at the most – we’ve been here for 43 years.

“Our daughter Susie was two years old when we moved in. We have never seen any branches falling off these trees.”

When the LDRS visited the site, all but one of the trees had lush green canopies that were gradually turning red with the arrival of autumn. The horse chestnut was the only one to have bare branches and looked in poor health.

Tree protection orders (TPOs) were given to six trees when the flats were built. Both the Ortons and Linda Hughes-Jones have sought expert opinions with contrasting results.

Jim Unwin, a forestry expert with over 40 years of experience, recommended the trees are monitored for the next few years. Meanwhile, Cedarwood Tree Care proposed all six trees be felled as the roots were severely damaged.

Mr Orton continued: “The council’s forestry officer didn’t want to read Jim Unwin’s report – it was suppressed.

“I thought Green council members were opposed to the destruction of trees and wildlife? As far as we’re concerned, that Oak tree is not dangerous.”

The Ortons are not the only residents living nearby to be outraged at the decision. 69-year-old Olga Paladini has lived opposite the trees on Blossomfield Road for 27 years and claims she had never encountered any branches coming down.

She said: “It’s a bit bizarre – more elaboration is needed from the Green Party. I’d much rather the trees didn’t come down, they are very beautiful.”

Also living nearby is 74-year-old Tony Abrahams, a resident of Blossomfield Road for 35 years. He said the decision to cut the trees down is ‘outrageous’.

“The trees were subject to a protection order,” he told the LDRS, “and the work to the flats had damaged the roots. Blossomfield Road is a nice leafy suburb and most of the trees showed no signs of damage – it’s ridiculous.”

In response to the comments made by the Ortons, chair of the planning committee Cllr Bob Grinsell (Cons, Olton) said: “The proposal to fell the trees at Blossomfield Road was considered in detail by the Planning Committee at its meeting on October 5. At that meeting, some local residents spoke against the proposals to fell the trees, whilst the applicant spoke in support.

“As part of the committee process, members had full access to a range of information including two different specialist reports (Cedarwood and Unwin), all comments made by local residents and the professional views of council officers. Members clearly and openly explored all aspects of this proposal in making their decision as did officers in making their recommendations.

“The council notes the matter of tree ownership in so far as it relates to the oak tree but would stress this is a civil matter and not one that the council can consider when making a decision on the felling of the trees.

“Lastly, the council would stress that it places great value on the borough’s trees and especially those with protected status. This is clear through the council’s Urban Forestry Strategy and Planting our Future campaign – which is overseeing the planting of 250,000 trees in ten years.

“As such the felling of trees is never a decision that is taken lightly but where cases such as this arise, the council is duty-bound to have regard to national guidance and the safety of persons and property. Should the trees go on to be felled, the council can also confirm that mature replacement trees will be planted in their place.”

Leader of the Solihull Green Group Cllr Max McLoughlin (Greens, Shirley East) also said: “I’ve seen many planning applications where developers state that no work has been done to remove trees, but we can see that’s not true. More concerning is damage to very old trees with TPOs, which causes dieback, making them unsafe.

“Through the Local Plan process, concerns were raised repeatedly over the proximity of major developments to ancient woodlands. These are planning problems that are caused by weak legislation and insufficient enforcement. The laws to promote biodiversity ‘net-gain’ are weak.

“You can’t replace a tree that has been there for centuries with a sapling. They don’t provide the same habitat, amenity, or absorb the same amount of carbon from the atmosphere. We need laws to protect against this kind of damage and the means to enforce them, otherwise, we’ll lose vital elements of our environment and the character of the places we live in.”

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