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Council did what it could to save oak tree - mayor

Stuart Woodward/BBC Councillor Denise Burke stood in a car park with a large oak tree in the background. She is wearing a green coat with an orange scarf, and has dark rimmed spectacles on her face.Stuart Woodward/BBC
Denise Burke says it was "a very sad time" for everyone involved

A town's mayor said a council had gone as far as it could to save a 120-year-old oak tree from being felled.

Insurer Aviva said the roots of the oak tree in Wivenhoe, near Colchester, have been causing subsidence to nearby properties and it had to be chopped down.

Wivenhoe Town Council said it was told by the insurer to remove the tree - and two others - by the end of January or face a bill of hundreds of thousands of pounds.

Denise Burke, the mayor of Wivenhoe, said: "Unless somebody comes along with a silver bullet before 31 January, then we will have to complete this task of the tree removal."

A spokesperson for Aviva told the BBC that it was "a complex and sensitive matter which we are keen to resolve in the best way for all of the parties involved".

Burke added the authority had "negotiated hard" with the insurer.

The council said it had been informed that three previous reports by Aviva had concluded the oak was responsible for the damage to two properties in adjacent Clifton Terrace.

Stuart Woodward/BBC An oak tree, pictured next to a playing field. There is a set of red swings in the foreground and a bench to the left-hand side.Stuart Woodward/BBC
The 120-year-old oak tree, pictured left, sits in the corner of a car park next to a playing field

A petition to save the tree had reached more than 3,400 signatures by Wednesday.

The petition's creator, Kat Scott, told the BBC she would be "really sad" if the tree was lost.

She and other campaigners have gathered around the tree for several days - with some even staying through the night.

People have hung yellow ribbons to its lower branches and signs and posters have been attached to its trunk.

"It's a beautiful tree, it's part of the history, charm and delight of Wivenhoe," said Rina Isaacson, 60, who has lived in the town for 26 years.

"We will be keeping vigil over this tree," she added.

"We will be continuing to do that peacefully, quietly and as respectfully as we can."

Stuart Woodward/BBC Kat Scott, a Wivenhoe resident, stood in a park with a tree behind her. She is wearing an orange coat and an orange beret.Stuart Woodward/BBC
Kat Scott set up an online petition to try and save the trees

Resident Kayleigh Rattle said she was "devastated" to hear of the tree's impending removal.

"I spent hours pushing [my son] in the park on the swings, looking up at that beautiful tree," she said.

"Especially in lockdown, when you didn't get to see many people - as a lonely first-time mum looking up at that tree brought me so much solace."

A spokesperson for Aviva said: "Whilst we are unable to share specific details due to policy and customer confidentiality, we are working hard to provide a solution."

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