Ealing Council halts decision to fell two street trees in Chiswick after residents’ anger

Lime tree under threat

Ealing Council planned to cut down two mature, healthy lime trees because it said it couldn’t afford to maintain them

Chiswick residents were angered by a note from Ealing Council pinned to two mature street trees, saying they were planning to chop them down, even though they were  perfectly healthy.

The note appeared on Monday 2 June explaining the lime trees, on St Albans Avenue in Bedford Park, in Ealing’s Southfield ward, were simply too expensive to prune. The note read:

‘This is a notification that this tree is proposed to be removed. From the date of this notice, there is a 28-day period in which you can provide comments on the proposed tree removal.

Reason for removal: The tree is being removed due to an unsustainable pruning regime. Historically, it was pollarded every three years to manage its size and proximity to nearby properties. However, due to reductions in resources, pruning now occurs on a six-year cycle, which is no longer sufficient to maintain the tree at a manageable size’.

The notices have now been withdrawn after residents took up the invitation to comment and brought the issue to the attention of the environmental campaign group Abundance London.

James Dunn was the first to bring the issue to the group’s attention. He was “quite shocked” when he first read the Council’s notice, he told The Chiswick Calendar.

“The idea that there’s no money and therefore you can just chop down trees made me really startled.”

“Most people I spoke to were outraged. There was a general consensus that it didn’t surprise people that the Council would make a decision like this which is why people were either fatigued, or really upset and worried.”

James got in contact with Abundance London, who helped to mobilise the cause.

“It was great, because by tapping into that community at Abundance London, we could get many voices to contact the council”, said James.

Karen Liebreich, director of Abundance London, said that although the Council’s reversal indicates its willingness to listen to residents, it highlights why regular tree inspections are important.

“It is a great relief that Ealing Council listened and that they have done this”, she said.

“However, inspecting street trees every six years as a way of reducing costs is a short-sighted policy that needs to be reviewed.”

“We are all nervous that this might happen again”.

The need for regular maintenance was demonstrated dramatically on Saturday when a huge bough fell from a tree on South Parade, blocking the road for a few hours.

READ ALSO: Fallen bough blocks South Parade in Chiswick

A new notice has been pinned to the trees St Albans Avenue withdrawing the threat, saying: ‘Ealing Council will be retaining this tree’.

A spokesperson for Ealing Council said:

“The 28 day consultation process was started last week in error and the tree service manager has cancelled the consultation.

“The Tree Service will continue to manage the two lime trees (outside 35 and 71 St Albans Avenue) in accordance with council policies.

“The streets trees in Southfield ward are due to be routinely surveyed in 2026.”

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