A Pannal man has taken Harrogate Borough Council to appeal for refusing to let him prune willow trees which he believes hang precariously over his house.
Professor Alejandro Frangi, who is an internationally renowned expert on computational medicine, lives by Crimple Beck with his wife and eight children.
He believes the trees next to his house could fall in strong winds and threaten the safety of his young family.
But the council refused him permission to reduce the willows in 2020 and Mr Frangi has now taken the authority to the government’s Planning Inspectorate.
He told a hearing this morning he decided to appeal after the council made the trees subject to a tree preservation order (TPO) following his proposal.
Mr Frangi had previously accused the council of acting “unreasonably” over the matter and made a formal complaint, which the council rejected.
No suggestion of felling
Mr Frangi said he was “not suggesting felling” the trees and that he would rather they were reduced in size.
He told today’s hearing:
“The crown reduction is the least of evils”.
But the council said it took requests for reduction in trees under TPO on a “case by case basis”.
Professor Frangi believes the trees are unsafe for his young family.
Joshua Arthur, speaking on behalf of the authority, said that works to the trees was also “considered unjustified”.
He added that the work would be a “detriment to the conservation area” if felled.
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Alan Gilleard, the council’s arboriculture manager, added that work to reduce the size was not a common practice for TPO trees.
He said:
“This is not something we routinely support without strong justification.”
Mr Frangi also argues that the trees are unsafe for his family as they can fall over in strong weather conditions.
He told the Stray Ferret previously:
“These trees risk falling on to my side of the river, straight on my property, posing a risk to my family and property. The council has been acting unreasonably, dismissing the risks and putting TPOs on the trees instead of protecting us.”
William Cooper, a government planning inspector who oversaw this morning’s hearing, will make a site visit to the trees before making a final decision at a later date.