Ancient oak tree in North Muskham saved from plans which could cause “irreversible harm” following Newark and Sherwood District Council refusal

A tree campaigner has spoken of her delight after news that plans to “devastate” a beloved oak tree have been refused.

In January, an application was submitted to drastically reduce the size of a roughly 80ft to 90ft tall oak tree, off Walton’s Lane in North Muskham, which stands proudly above the surrounding landscape.

The applicant had described the work as being necessary to remove weak branches and dead wood, and argued that if tree limbs were to fall they could cause damage to lower branches, properties, or pose a danger to people in the area.

The plans drew the attention of North Muskham resident and passionate environmentalist, Sara Chadd of St. George’s Trust, who started a campaign to save the tree and petitioned Newark and Sherwood District Council to turn down the application, worrying that the proposed works would kill the ancient oak.

Estimated to be between 250 and 300 years old, Ms Chadd argued that the oak tree was too valuable an asset for biodiversity in the area, providing an “irreplaceable” habitat for dozens of species.

Now, the council, as the local planning authority, have refused the application following a visit from officers who deemed the tree was of “good aboricultural value” and “exhibits fair to good vigour”.

Reasons for refusal include a lack of “appropriate justification for the extent of works”, and the fact that no submission of an expert arboricultural report or quantified risk assessment was made.

The proposals sought to reduce the height of the tree by approximately 13 to 14 metres, removing well over 50% of the crown area.

As such, council officers deemed that the proposed works were “likely to significantly negatively impact the tree's health, structure, and amenity value”.

It was added that the extent of the proposed tree reduction “exceeds what is considered acceptable”, “does not align with good arboricultural practice”, and “would likely result in irreversible harm.”

After hearing the news, Sara Chadd, said: “Not only me, but a lot of people were thrilled and relieved to hear about this decision.

“You can see this tree from miles around and these works would not only have devastated it, but taken out a huge part of the canopy in the area, which is irreplaceable.

“I think [the council] have hit the nail on the head and listened to what the experts had to say.”

However, Sara believed there was still more work to be done.

“Public consultation needs to be put back on the table, especially where plans can change the landscape,” she said.

“It is time that the council abided by public consultation and put the information out there rather than behind closed doors.

“Because, unless people are eagle eyed and happen to notice an application like I did, then nobody would ever know until it is too late.

“I’m just pleased we managed to put pressure on and delay this for a long as we did until a proper decision could be made.”

Anyone interested in continuing Sara’s appeal to protect the tree for good, can do so by signing a petition, here: https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/save-the-great-oak-of-muskham-1

An appeal against the decision can be made by the applicant, but Newark and Sherwood District Council will have the final say on the matter.

The council did state that they would welcome a future application, however, it must be an example of sensitive, expert-led tree management aimed at preserving both the health of the tree and its public amenity value.