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Stumped by call to chop down old tree
AN ANGRY resident has hit out at Egton Parish Council after he was ordered to cut down a century old tree in his garden.
A potential solution has now been found to save the Hawthorn tree at 85-year-old Jack Clarke's Egton Bridge home but he has been left furious by the saga.
He says he was told to cut down the tree at the bottom of the garden because the Parish Council wrote to him to say that if the tree were to fall on someone it would seriously injure or kill them.
"Have you ever heard anything so stupid?" said retired journalist Mr Clarke.
"The tree has stood in the garden for at easily 50 to 100 years with no problems at all and then I get this letter last week telling me I've got to cut it down because it is a danger to walkers.
"Instead of sending me a letter they could have come down here and looked at it and seen it was safe. I was even prepared to put a stake in my garden and attach a rope to the tree to ensure that if for some reason it did fall it would do so into my garden."
The tree is close to a path that runs behind Mr Clarke's property to the stepping stones at the bottom of the village.
He then received a letter from the North York Moors National Park Authority informing him he had 14 days to cut down the tree or it would be cut down for him and he would be charged.
After many phone calls the national park has agreed to send someone to meet with Mr Clarke to discuss the issue
"I'm from a generation that between 1939 and 1945 stood up to authority and this really gets the sap rising in my blood," he said.
"I used to be a journalist and I was always told to be suspicious of government, politicians and bureaucracy and this problem has come about solely because of the parish council.
"I attach no blame to the North York Moors National Park who have been put in this unenviable position by the council. Now we are hopefully back to what I offered to do in the first place."
Lucy Fletcher, clerk to Egton Parish Council, rejected Mr Clarke's claims and said she had gone to see the tree after the matter was raised and noticed it was rotten at the base.
"I simply sent him a polite letter making him aware of the problem," she said.
She said she then contacted the national park for advice.
"They said they would send someone to look at the tree; we didn't ask them too," she added.
"A woodland officer went to see the tree and thought there was enough reason for concern to contact Mr Clarke himself."
A consultation will now take place to see if the tree can be made safe without felling it.
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Saturday 04 February 2012
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