My dilemma
I have a dilemma the trees in the picture form the boundary of a property on the opposite side of the road from where I live. In winter they look a bit forlorn but later in the year they provide us with a 'green view'. The council are responsible for keeping the trees pruned and in my opinion they have allowed them to grow too high. That said, I'm not sure I would want to see them disappear completely.
Last year, the owners of the house tried to get planning permission to build a house in the garden but were turned down due to limited access. My immediate neighbour whom you may remember I have mentioned in previous posts (part of his front garden is visible in the photo) is keen to find a plot to build an eco-friendly bungalow.
I think you might see where I'm going. My neighbour has tentatively discussed the possiblity of buying part of the other garden to build his bungalow. So far so good but today when I popped in to take him some soup (he had an op yesterday) he told me he had got the planning officer out to re-look at the site. My neighbour had said that no one liked the trees and has been assured that the planners would raise no objection to the trees being removed (he is of the opinion it's because it will save the council money).
Here's my problem, I told him I would be sad to see the trees go completely but I feel they need to be lopped quite considerably. For my neighbour it's the problem the roots would cause for anything built on the land.
So if a planning application is submitted do I make a formal objection to loosing the trees or do I let it go as we are friendly with both neighbours. What would you do????
Labels: Good neighbours, Home/garden
posted by ChrisB @ 3:10 pm
16 comments
16 Comments:
I would have to make an objection personally. Even if I was friends with the person requesting. You'd be amazed how it changes the landscape when you remove a few trees and not always for the better.
That's a tough call.
(I hate confrontations, so would really struggle with the issue).
It depends on how much you really love the trees - and if you want some greenery, can you request that other trees be planted (somewhere) to replace the ones taken down?
and how Eco-friendly is this bungalow going to be? I'd want to see the plans.
my4kids that's what we are worried about; apparently the garden has to be properly landscaped after the removal of the trees but of course that could mean anything.
karmyn my mother can see the trees from her sitting room and she has been watching birds nesting recently. I think she would miss them very much. I don't think trees will be replanted the best we could hope for is a hedge but even that is unlikely, but I know the garden would be very well kept.
It's in the very early stages so I might be worrying unnecessarily but he has in mind solar panels and underfloor heating that's all I know currently.
If the roots are the problem,they can not build the house with trees in there.We have a root growing underneath the driveway and it cracks the cement!
So I guess they will have to cut them down.You could request them not to but decision is of land owners I think.
Asha the bit of land the trees are on actually belongs to the council so I guess they will ultimately decide, but you can get preservation orders on some trees but not sure I would go down that route.
Become a treehugger mum - build a treehouse in the trees and don't come down from your perch until they promise not to fell the trees.
How much of an eco-friendly bungalow can it be anyway, if it begins with the death of some beloved trees?
If your neighbour really cares about the environment wouldn't he be better adapting his current house to be more ecologically sound instead of using the energy needed to make a new one. Has he done a side by side comparison of the savings?
If he builds a new house - the old one isn't going to go away. It will still be there for someone else to live in, he won't have fixed any problems he sees with it, he would just have passed along its problems to somebody else.
It's no fun falling out with your neighbours and he is such a good one. I know how much you love trees. Why don't you just make your objections through the official channels. Do you have to make your concerns public? Need anyone know it was you who dissented? He was out of order to suggest no one would object without making sure that was the case anyway.
Stand by your guns but let him know it is is not personal.
Could you get him to agree to replace the trees with others? Once the huse is built? Or have them in the pavement?
Wow, that is hard. I'm with Karmyn with the confrontation, but I do find the older I get the less and less concerned I am with coming off badly. Unfortunately, you have to live near these people for the forseeable future.
Is there any way to do it like Sam said, on the sly?
In the end, it will probably come down to how much the trees mean to you compared to your relationships with your neighbors.
Sorry, sounds like a lose lose, I wish you luck!
What an awful position to be in. I don't envy you. Have just caught up on your trip and enjoyed the pics. I'm thinking seriously of doing a Intrepid 10 day Morocco trip. Your comments are making me rethink.
Sam and Lisa I was talking to embee about this earlier this evening. I think that objections are open to the public (I'm not certain will have to check). A few years ago I did object when they were going to turn a guest house a few hundered yards along the road from us into a rehabilitation house for drug users (based on my social work experience). I think other people must also have objected as the application was withdrawn. The house is now a supported home to adults with special needs and they have settled in well. I will sound out other neighbours and see what they feel about it.
barbara hope you've had a lovely time welcome back.
Please don't let me put you off I think there are parts of Morocco where it will be lovely and if you're staying in a hotel I'm sure it will be fine. I think we saw some of the poverty and areas that are not yet fully developed for tourism and it was an experience I would not have missed. As we were only there for a day we may not have got a balanced view.
so no tree hugger for a mother?
that would have been cool.
Sam do you really see me as a tree hugger!! That would be my 15 mins of fame!!
Can't said neighbour take down his bungalow and build his new eco hoiuse on his own land?
beccy I think that would be too expensive and he doesn't want the steps into the garden.
I'm with Sam (She's the oldest daughter, isn't she.) Be firm and let them know it is not personal, but...
pw I know in my heart everyone is right, it's just a pity it happens to be these two particular neighbours. I'm going to try and find out what other people think who live nearby and decide what to do once a planning application goes in. We should get a letter from the council when that happens.
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