Plan to fell 'nationally significant' tree blocked

A developer's plan to chop down a "nationally significant" tree has been blocked by Bradford Council.

Persimmon Homes had applied to fell the 72ft (22m) ash on a field off Bolton Road in Silsden – where the developer plans to build over 130 homes.

The company argued that while the tree was relatively healthy, it could get ash dieback in the future, which would put residents of the new estate at risk.

However, council officers said the tree was "irreplaceable" and refused permission to chop it down, describing Persimmon's verdict on the tree's future to be "overly negative".

According to the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), ash dieback disease is a fungus that affects ash trees of all ages. Although it can kill trees, in many cases it weakens the tree and leaves it vulnerable to other fatal infections.

The application by Persimmon said: "While the tree currently has no obvious symptoms of ash dieback, other trees at the site have symptoms of the disease and it is very likely the tree will become infected in future."

It said that when homes, roads and footpaths are built around the tree, it would "be an unacceptable risk", the Local Democracy Service reports.

Elizabeth McLaughlin, arboriculture officer at the authority, described the tree as "highly significant in the landscape" and contributed to the "distinctive pattern of trees" in the area.

"It should be noted that the tree at the time of inspection was not showing signs of ash dieback, which could indicate that the tree is a resistant specimen and adds to the importance of its retention," said McLaughlin.

"The tree is a veteran tree as captured by the Woodland Trusts Ancient Tree Inventory. As such it is considered nationally significant and irreplaceable habitat."

She said the insistence the tree would succumb to the disease was "overly negative" and "by no measurable means accurate".

She added: "It should be noted that the plan submitted to support the application is not the one which has been approved and shows a misleading picture of the future site use."

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