Oak tree felled by Toby Carvery ‘had hundreds of years to live’
An ancient oak felled in a north London park by Toby Carvery’s owners was healthy and could have lived “for another few hundred years”, the local council has said.
Pub chain Mitchells & Butlers (M&B) said on Tuesday it was responsible for chopping down the 500-year-old tree on 3 April “to protect our employees and guests as well as the wider general public”.
An Enfield Council planning document from March 2024 found that the pedunculate oak was a “fine specimen” with high ecological and landscape value and had a life expectancy of at least 50 years.
But Ergin Erbil, leader of Enfield Council, said an inspection in December revealed the tree could have lived for several centuries.
He said: “Our experts surveyed this tree in December and they said it’s healthy and could live another few hundred years so I completely oppose the argument from the leaseholder that this posed a health and safety risk.”
Source: BBC | Language: English