Missing tree in Whateley Road......I think

[Alan Medic]

I saw the soil scattered on the footpath. There's a hole there. It looks like there must have been a tree there. Has one been stolen? Can anyone explain?

[rch]

if you give me a rough address, I'll try to go over there and have a look...

[Mrs D]

Just north of the bus stop on the opposite side from Harris primary.

[Sue]

Doubt it's been stolen.

People round here seem to chop down trees willy nilly if they think they may be damaging their property.

ETA: Or in some cases the council may remove them if in fact the trees are damaging somebody's property??

[Penguin68]

Or in some cases the council may remove them if in fact the trees are damaging somebody's property

Also if the tree is damaged or diseased and may prove a danger to passers by or to other trees.

[rch]

I chatted to some of the neighbours... apparently the council removed the tree because it died and then a fox dug the hole. The residents don't think a new replacement tree will work out because the pavement is too narrow due to the wheelie bins, which can't go anywhere else because of the way the basement flats are laid out (sad face).

I'm in fairly regular contact with the council tree officers, so I'll let them know about the hole to see if it can be tarmacked over.

[DulwichFox]

I believe it was indeed the tree that was declared Dead and destined for removal.

It had a notice on it.

DulwichFox

[Michael Palaeologus]

A death notice on a tree.

Will there be a memorial service?

[rch]

Unfortunately we have a lot of dead trees in East Dulwich, which is why I'm still trying to keep track and replace as many as possible (unless the residents really don't want it, in which case I try to find funding to plant another one close by).

[rch]

In the meantime, I took a photo of the fox hole pit and sent it to the council tree officer and he has now requested for the highways dept to "cap" the pit (which means to tarmac or cement it over) so that no one trips over it.

Can someone let me know when this happens??

[FightingFit]

Michael Palaeologus Wrote:

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> A death notice on a tree.

>

> Will there be a memorial service?

...one tree hill

[1921]

I would love trees on the pavements of Ashbourne Grove at the Melbourne Grove end. Sadly the huge trees are going to be cut down when the building works start at 54. It will seem very bare at the bottom end of the road without anything at all.

RCH can you put in a request, how does it work? The wouldn't be able to be planted for a while as yet.

[Sue]

Be careful what you wish for!

I had a tree replaced outside my house some years back, when the original one was vandalised, and I really had to push the council to replace it.

Now it is so big it cuts out the sun to my living room :(

[rch]

Hi 1921... is this the house on the corner of Ashbourne and Melbourne? I think the trees there are on private property and also have restrictions on chopping them down, but we'll have to see what the planning officers decide.

I think I've seen discussions about allocating funding for street trees along there to compensate, but it may be necessary to wait and see how it goes and then plan accordingly.

I'm just down the road, so let's stay in touch and I'll help you guys negotiate through the system as best I can!

[rch]

Hi Sue... there are so many layers of complexity to tree replacements, that everything depends on the specifics of the location.

A lot of residents are opting to replace dead trees with smaller species in order to keep the green feel of a road, but without blocking sunlight.

This is actually one of the most fascinating aspects of street tree planting that I enjoy! Shame we didn't know each other back then...

But, depending on the type of tree, you may be able to ask the council to do a crown reduction (a lowering and thinning of the crown) on it, which will help... the only problem with this solution is that it will have to be repeated every few years as the tree grows back, which will incur regular internal budget expenditure...

[Sue]

Thanks Robin, I didn't know that.

It's a Birch.

[rch]

Update to 1921... I walked round there again and realised that 54 isn't on the corner, but across the road.

I can see exactly what your concerns are... fortunately the pavement is wide enough to accommodate taller tree to replace the internal trees on the property, but the developer may object to the "obstruction".

Let's wait and see what happens as the site gets developed... I haven't seen the planning approval document, but I suspect that the developer will opt to keep at least one internal tree, which will indicate where pavement trees could possibly be planted.

[Penguin68]

I haven't seen the planning approval document, but I suspect that the developer will opt to keep at least one internal tree,

Depending on the state of the trees here it is quite possible for planners to require all the trees to be kept. It may well not be just up to the developer. Trees, even on private ground, are seen as a public amenity and may well, in some boroughs though not I fear ours, have automatic tree preservation orders on them dependent on their girth.

[rch]

Hi Sue... Normally birches aren't crown reduced - usually bigger trees such as planes and chestnuts - but we can ask. Ironically, most neighbourhoods tend to chose birches as a "medium" tree specifically because it tends not to block light. But it depends on the angle of the sun and location of the tree.

The best thing is for you to put in a request to the council (I think you can do it via the Environment email link) and I can also try to ask the tree officer in tandem.

Can you PM me the location of the tree, as this could make a difference to the argument?

[Sue]

Well.

As of this afternoon, I have been told that the cracks all over my front bay and down the sides of its windows are due to subsidence and are "100%" due to the Birch street tree outside my house.

Somebody will shortly be coming along and investigating re the roots.

So I imagine the tree will have to be removed.

So the blocking out of the sun is now the least of my problems :(

I gather similar cases are arising all over this area, following the heat wave :(

[BrandNewGuy]

Hmmm, the heatwave makes it sound more like cracking in the subsoil and below due to the moisture content decreasing ? which is the cause of most London subsidence. And birch roots are very shallow. Further investigation need, I think.

[cella]

We were told the same recently but Southwark are resisting. Our next door neighbours settled their claim and had the necessary work done last year so it's very hard to pin this on the tree.

[Sue]

BrandNewGuy Wrote:

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> Hmmm, the heatwave makes it sound more like

> cracking in the subsoil and below due to the

> moisture content decreasing ? which is the cause

> of most London subsidence. And birch roots are

> very shallow. Further investigation need, I think.

The guy I spoke to on the phone was going on a video which somebody who came last week made, inside and outside, so they are coming to investigate further (digging down to the tree roots).

The video maker told me it was highly unlikely to be the tree because neither of the adjoining houses has similar cracks.

However today's person (can't remember whether he said he was a structural surveyor or a structural engineer) said that the tree roots would have drawn the moisture out of the soil. He said the person who made the video was a technician and implied that his own view was superior to the technician's opinion.

My main concern is that the cracks are getting wider and I'm worried the windows may fall out :( Because of the number of claims due to the heatwave, things are taking longer to investigate and resolve.

The guy said I may have to have the front of the house propped up temporarily, AAAAAAARRRRRGGGGGGHHHHH :(:( :(

ETA: Anyway, they are sending me a letter which may (or may not) shed more light.

[DulwichFox]

It is possible that the foundations of the bay are not so deep as to those of the house.

May not be as serious as it looks. ???

But the bay will still need to be rebuilt.

[Sue]

DulwichFox Wrote:

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> It is possible that the foundations of the bay are

> not so deep as to those of the house.

>

> May not be as serious as it looks. ???

> But the bay will still need to be rebuilt.

Yes the foundations of the bay are different. That's why only the bay is affected, presumably.