Anger over felled trees

CLEARED . . . Jim Harbige with Councillor Olwen Chadderton on land where the trees have been chopped down

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AN ANGRY pensioner claims a trio of protected trees have been felled without residents’ say-so.

Jim Harbige, of Fir Lane, Royton, claims he’s been kept in the dark about why the trees, behind his property, have been chopped down.

He called Oldham’s planning department to find out if a plan had been submitted for the site, in Fir Bank Road, but officers had nothing listed.

The 65-year-old says rumours are rife that a developer wishes to build three houses there, and feels that he has jumped the gun by clearing the site before submitting a plan.

Mr Harbidge has now enlisted the support of local Councillors Bernard Judge and Olwen Chadderton, who have taken matters into their own hands, on behalf of the residents.

Mr Harbige said: “The trouble is that we don’t have the facts and our local councillors are trying to find out what is going on.

“Our worry is that these trees are protected and have been removed without consultation with us.

“I called the planning office and it didn’t have a clue what was going on.

“The rumour is that three houses are planned for the site but we have worked out that they will be higher than our property at the rear.

“Not only will they encroach on our privacy, but they will reduce light and cause extensive drainage problems.

“I am worried that the developer will submit a retrospective planning application — they have jumped the gun by a very long way already, to have cleared the site, without first being sure that such beautiful trees would need to be removed.

“They can not put back what they have removed.”

Councillor Judge said he has e-mailed a letter to the council to find out who owns the land, adding: “I believe the council handed over the land to a housing association a few years ago, but we need to check if that’s the case.

“I’ve also asked the council why the trees have been felled and if there was a preservation order on them.”

But principal planning officer, Peter Schofield, said: “The council can confirm that a number of trees have been removed from a piece of land in Fir Bank Road, and although several trees in the area are protected by Tree Preservation Orders those removed were not.”