Felled oak could have lived another 'few hundred years'

An ancient oak that was felled by the owners of Toby Carvery could have lived for another few hundred years”, the outraged head of the local council claimed as he vowed legal action.

- BRYONY GOOCH

Reports were made to Enfield Council in London earlier this month after a roughly 400-year-old oak tree on the edge of Whitewebbs Park, in the north of the capital, was felled. The tree was thought to be in the top 100 of London’s 600,000 oak trees in terms of its size, and was believed to have “more ecological value than the Sycamore Gap”.

Hospitality group Mitchells and Butlers, which operates the Whitewebbs House Toby Carvery on parkland owned by the council, owned up to chopping down the ancient oak, saying they were advised by arboriculture experts that it caused a “serious health and safety risk”.

Mitchells and Butlers said they had been told the tree was dead and cut the tree down as an “important action to protect our employees and guests as well as the wider general public, to whom we have a duty of care”.

“We took necessary measures to ensure any legal requirements were met. We are grateful to our specialist arboriculture contractors for warning us of this potential health and safety risk, allowing us to act swiftly to address it.”

But Enfield Council leader Ergin Erbil said the ancient oak was not only alive, it could have lived “for another few hundred years”.

“I completely oppose the argument from the leaseholder that this posed a health and safety risk,” Mr Erbil told the BBC.

In a statement to The Independent, Mr Erbil said that the council was seeking advice to take appropriate legal action against the hospitality group for violating the terms of their leasehold.