Issue - meetings

This report informs the Committee of a petition that was received from residents in Queens Park Ward objecting to the removal of a street tree outside 148 Purves Road NW10. The tree is the subject matter of a subsidence claim. The report also outlines the process undertaken by Officers when a subsidence claim is made and the reasons for the proposed removal of this particular tree.

That the contents of the petition received and objecting to the removal of the street tree outside 148 Purves Road be noted;

That the current procedures undertaken by Officers in relation to street tree related subsidence claims be noted;

That the reasons for removing the street tree outside 148 Purves Road NW10 as set out within the report and Appendix 1 of the report be noted.

This Committee gave consideration to a report that informed them of a petition received from residents in Queens Park Ward objecting to the removal of a street tree outside 148 Purves Road NW10. The tree was the subject matter of a subsidence claim. The report also outlined the process undertaken by Officers when a subsidence claim was made and the reasons for the proposed removal of this particular tree. The evidence in relation to the subsidence claim provided in Appendix 1 was exempt from publication as it contained the following category of exempt information as specified in the  Local Government Access to Information Act 1972 namely;

 “information relating to information relating to the financial or business affairs of any particular  person including the authority holding that information .“

The Head of Highways and Transportation, Tim Jackson informed the Committee that the proposal to remove the mature Alnus (Alder) street tree was in response to a subsidence claim being made in relation to the property at 144 Purves Road and was based on information set out in appendix 1, having regard to the current legal position and cost savings. He clarified that an analysis of legislation and recent case law had confirmed that once it was demonstrated that tree roots were the cause of subsidence on a property, the claim was more than likely to be successful if progressed.  In addition if the tree was felled now it would remove the risk of a claim to recover the cost of underpinning the property being pursued against the Council which represented an effective saving of at least £7,000.00.  Tim Jackson continued that in order to mitigate against the impact of the removal of this street tree, a replacement tree of appropriate size and species would be planted in the vicinity of Purves Road following the removal of the street tree.

RESOLVED:-

(i)            That the contents of the petition received objecting to the removal of the street tree outside 148 Purves Road be noted;

(ii)          That the current procedures undertaken by officers in relation to street tree related subsidence claims be noted;

(iii)         That the reasons for removing the street tree outside 148 Purves Road as set out within the report and Appendix 1 be noted.