Following considerable local concern about what is happening to the venerable Drive trees, I am reliably informed that the tree surgeons are working under what is known as a ‘5 Day Notice’ via the dangerous tree exception. When a tree is removed under an exception, the landowner is placed under a duty to re-plant as soon as reasonably practical.

The City Council’s Tree Officer has asked that the gaps within the avenue are to be planted with standard sized trees, using estate tree guards. It is expected that the whole avenue will be inspected on a regular basis, and the horse chestnut is likely to be pollarded.

The old substantial trees on the Drive are under a Tree Preservation Order (TPO), but the self-seeders, which included those to the east of east Lodge, are not. These old trees are nearing the end of their lives and we should expect that more work will be done in the next few years.

Nick Webster, Parish Chairman