A local healthcare company has been ordered to pay over £6,000 for unlawfully destroying three protected trees which were believed to be over 100 years old.
Harbour Healthcare Ltd. appeared in court on Thursday 4 April for breaching a Tree Preservation Order (TPO) that has been in place for almost 40 years.
Liverpool City Council planning officers were made aware of the unauthorised works taking place at one of the company’s care homes, Kingswood Mount Care Home in Woolton, last year.
An inspection by one of the Council’s tree and landscape officers found that irreparable damage had been done to mature beech, yew and oak trees, all of which were covered by a TPO.
The yew tree had been felled from ground level, while both the oak and beech trees had been topped, which is the act of removing the top of the tree, including its main branches. The inspection found that the heavy pruning of the two topped trees had likely caused irreparable damage and caused their destruction.
A TPO protects trees that contribute to the local environment against being cut down, topped, lopped, or uprooted without prior permission.
While trees under a TPO can be removed if they are dead or dangerous, this must be evidenced. An inspection of the three destroyed trees at the care home found that the trees posed no such risk.
Before they were destroyed, the trees were believed to stand between 15m and 25m tall and, due to their age, had a combined value of £357,409.
In court, Harbour Healthcare Ltd. Pleaded guilty to three separate offences, covering each of the three trees and were ordered to pay £6,777 in the next 28 days.
In a separate case, Mr Daniel McCormack, the tree surgeon who carried out the works as part of A&C Tree Care, also pleaded guilty to three offences and was sentenced to a fine of £960.
Anyone planning works on trees in Liverpool can check whether they’re protected by a TPO on the Council’s website.
Councillor Laura Robertson-Collins, Cabinet Member for Neighbourhoods, Communities and Streetscene said: “Trees are a vital part of our city. Not only are they a beautiful feature of Liverpool’s landscape, but they play an important role in cleaning the air that we breathe.
“Multiple generations have passed since these trees were planted and we protect them for a reason. Heavy pruning can easily damage or kill trees and that’s the last thing we want, which is why we are strict on the type of works that can take place in a Tree Preservation Order.
“While new trees can be planted to replace the needless loss of the three that were destroyed, we won’t be around to see them grow to their full potential.
“I hope that this case sends a clear message to anyone thinking about carrying out unauthorised work in a TPO area that this is a serious topic and we won’t hesitate to prosecute. There is no excuse for ignoring these orders and wilfully destroying our city’s much needed and cherished trees.”
