Hove residents call for trees to get the chop

3:10pm Wednesday 8th August 2012 in News By Tim Ridgway, Local government reporter

IN SHADOW: The residents and the trees IN SHADOW: The residents and the trees

For dozens of years they have stood in a quiet part of Sussex basking in the great outdoors.

But residents in Old School Place, Hove, want to say goodbye to these 80-foot trees claiming they blight their everyday lives.

Despite attempts to cut them back, householders who live in the shadow of the giant perennials say they have their hands tied as they are protected.

This means despite fears the roots could cause damage to their homes, they cannot cut them down.

Brighton and Hove City Council , which has ultimate say over what is done with the trees, says it is up to locals to apply to them for permission to cut them back and then pay for the work.

Richard Frost, of Old School Place, said: “It’s just reached a ridiculous state of affairs.

“They were not this big five years ago when we moved in.

“But they have shot up in the last few years and now they are four or five metres above the tops of the houses.”

About ten households are affected by the five trees which are protected by a preservation order.

They were originally planted in the grounds of the former school in Stapley Road and remained when the properties were built in the last decade.

Locals claim the trees block out light from their homes while one added he could not dig in his garden as there were too many roots.

They are also worried the roots are growing under their homes and will cause subsidence.

Another said that falling leaves caused drains and gutters to block with others saying the smallest amount of wind caused a lot of noise as the branches waved about.

Tina Cooper, who has lived in nearby Rowan Avenue, Hove, for 28 years, said: “We’re just fed up at not being able to do anything.”

A council spokeswoman said it had received one complaint about the trees.

She added: “There is no inherent right to light to a property or its garden. A separate right to light can be acquired if the light has been uninterrupted for at least 20 years.

“For the right to be infringed, the loss of that light must be substantial and significantly interfere with the reasonable use and enjoyment of the property. This will not apply to gardens.”

Comments(20)

Hove Actually says...
3:36pm Wed 8 Aug 12

Copper Sulphate

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Charismatic Andrew says...
4:05pm Wed 8 Aug 12

Hove Actually wrote:
Copper Sulphate
Exactly.

Buy a 20 mm hole saw, a long 10mm timber drill bit and then go to the chemist and get a tub of copper sulphate crystals.

Use the hole saw to cut a small "cork" out of the trunk, then drill deep into the trunk with the long 10mm drill bit, mix the copper sulphate crystals with some water to form a runny paste, like ketchup.

Pour this down the hole, replace the bung and repeat a few times round the stump.

Slow death and no obvious external marks.

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Helena Handcart says...
4:22pm Wed 8 Aug 12

Charismatic Andrew wrote:
Hove Actually wrote:
Copper Sulphate
Exactly.

Buy a 20 mm hole saw, a long 10mm timber drill bit and then go to the chemist and get a tub of copper sulphate crystals.

Use the hole saw to cut a small "cork" out of the trunk, then drill deep into the trunk with the long 10mm drill bit, mix the copper sulphate crystals with some water to form a runny paste, like ketchup.

Pour this down the hole, replace the bung and repeat a few times round the stump.

Slow death and no obvious external marks.
Blimey there is barely a week goes by without a comment about one Corrupting Copper or another on here.

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jyan says...
4:26pm Wed 8 Aug 12

The trees have been long before the residents - why did they chose to live there - the trees must have been quite large when they moved in. Bunch of Idiots.

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billy goat-gruff says...
4:43pm Wed 8 Aug 12

why can't they be pollarded like on Clyde Road? these were earmarked for the chop but a protest by residents led to them being saved!

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Maxwell's Ghost says...
4:52pm Wed 8 Aug 12

Ha, ha, ha...the smallest amount of wind caused a lot of noise because the branches moved about.
Only in Hove.

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chilliman says...
4:54pm Wed 8 Aug 12

Strange wording used in this article.

Trees usually are outdoors, especially of that age, so they would be in the sun. Basking is a term I associate with sharks and sunbathers not plants.

Trees usually are perennials, I'd be quite worried if something grew to 80 feet tall in a year and then died back. The potential damage would be huge.

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Hoarder12345444 says...
4:55pm Wed 8 Aug 12

No dont chop them down, they are the lungs of the world!! Move on moaners.

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John Fallon says...
6:23pm Wed 8 Aug 12

Oh, for goodness' sake, pop along to the council's website, download a tree work form, fill it in and send it off. Once permission has been granted, get a qualified tree surgeon to coppice the things in the autumn. Job done. Repeat every three years or so. If you want an even easier life, get the tree surgeon to fill in the form. Just get on with and stop expecting other people to solve your relatively minor problems.

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onedaytheleftwillburn says...
7:00pm Wed 8 Aug 12

The trees have complained that the new residents to their area have poured tarmac over their roots and generally become a nuisance. They request a campaign to evict these new residents and return their surroundings to nature.Oh wait, the trees dont have the option to complain only these new comers.

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SableMable2 says...
7:03pm Wed 8 Aug 12

Well said John Fallon all these people would have moved in knowing they had trees with TPO's on the properties, as for the comment that they have grown in five years shows the level of intelligence of the moaners, talk about 'No suprise there then Sherlock' Have these people even applied for permission or do they think that by taking it to the Argus they will force the council to do the job for free so the rest of us tax payers pick up the bill. They might need to start saving as any arborculturist worth his salt would spot drilled holes in a disputed tree a mile off and then would happily slap £20,000 per tree fine on for going against the TPO. Also do the moaners think that when the tree is cut someone will dig up their gardens to remove the alleged numerous roots they could rebuild their alleged damaged houses whilst they are there. One small note if the sound of the wind rustling the leaves disturbs the moaners, how would they cope with a chain saw?

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qm says...
7:17pm Wed 8 Aug 12

"She (Council spokesperson) added: “There is no inherent right to light to a property or its garden. A separate right to light can be acquired if the light has been uninterrupted for at least 20 years."
Bureaucratic jobsworth!!! We are talking about people not bits of bloody paper!
If the council needs to make cuts, I think one just popped above the parapet!

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RSWIPE says...
9:14pm Wed 8 Aug 12

a simple solution apply for permission to reduce trees then pay qualified arborist to carry out agreed works.
slow newsday at local rag

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Rocco10 says...
10:12pm Wed 8 Aug 12

jyan wrote:
The trees have been long before the residents - why did they chose to live there - the trees must have been quite large when they moved in. Bunch of Idiots.
So you don't live within a 50 metre radius of any trees? There are no shortage of trees and plenty more are being planted as we speak.

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The Reader says...
1:10am Thu 9 Aug 12

Cut down all the trees and concrete the lot. If they want it to look like London why don't they just move back?

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Mr Sworld says...
1:35am Thu 9 Aug 12

Giant perennials? All trees are perennials and they tend to get big...

It would be a little more helpfull to know what type they are.

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Mr Sworld says...
1:44am Thu 9 Aug 12

Giant perennials? All trees are perennials and they tend to get big...

It would be a little more helpfull to know what type they are.

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jyan says...
7:39am Thu 9 Aug 12

Rocco10 wrote:
jyan wrote:
The trees have been long before the residents - why did they chose to live there - the trees must have been quite large when they moved in. Bunch of Idiots.
So you don't live within a 50 metre radius of any trees? There are no shortage of trees and plenty more are being planted as we speak.
Yes but I'm not moaning to the paper or the council about trees with Tree Protection Orders on that were there when I moved in. The TPO's would show up on any Local Search carried out when you buy a property. If you were worried about those trees growing larger then you wouldn't buy the property unless you were idiots like these ones. They don't look like their deprived of sunlight either, in the photo they all look brown enough and one is even wearing sunglasses!

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Andy R says...
11:13am Thu 9 Aug 12

qm wrote:
"She (Council spokesperson) added: “There is no inherent right to light to a property or its garden. A separate right to light can be acquired if the light has been uninterrupted for at least 20 years."
Bureaucratic jobsworth!!! We are talking about people not bits of bloody paper!
If the council needs to make cuts, I think one just popped above the parapet!
For simply stating what the legal position is, she should be sacked.

What a charming individual you are.

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lorrie1 says...
5:43pm Thu 9 Aug 12

The trees are probably blocking the light in there back gardens, Not good for growing there weed!

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