Plans to cut down a ‘landmark’ oak tree at the gateway to Ottery St Mary have attracted objections from residents and the town council.
The mature tree stands at the entrance to the Finnimore Industrial Estate on land currently tarmacked over and used for parking.
The owner of the land has applied to East Devon District Council for permission to fell the oak even though it is the subject of a Tree Preservation Order (TPO). The application includes a report stating that the tree is in poor health.
Ottery Town Council is opposing the application on the grounds that the tree is more than 100 years old and in a historic part of the town, as well as having the TPO. The council says the owner ‘should take steps to return the tree to its former good state of health’.
Other residents have submitted similar comments on the council's website, saying the tree has been harmed by the tarmacking and parking over its root ball, and 'to permit its removal is not the way forward'.
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