Distance a Tree Can be safely growing to a house

[Dan27]

Hello,

I have previously made a post about th Tulip tree that I have in my garden.

 

I am looking to have the tree removed as I believe it is having adverse health on my 4 yr old son's breathing. 

It is believe he is asthmatic and he suffers with allergens. 

The tree is very close to his bedroom window.

 

The tree itself is about 50-60ft in height and I anticipate it is about 40-50 years old based on what i have been told so far.

My house was buily in the mid 90's - so at the time time this tree would have been about 20-30 years of age ( this is all approximate) and a much smaller size.

 

My question is, is there any guidance / law which determines how safe a tree is when so close to a home?

 

The trunk of this tree is about 3 metres ( 9 feet) away from my back door. The canopy of the tree overhangs my house. 

 

I've read online that mature trees should be 15ft - 20 ft away to grow safely - but I can't see any actual official guidance in regards to this.

 

The tree is covered by an area TPO that was granted in 1990 when the appllication to build my home was submitted. 

 

I believe the council are hesitant to let me remove the tree on the sole basis that it is affecting the health of my son - which to me is ludicrous. 

So, I was wondering if there is any other angle I can approach this to help my application?

 

Many Thanks,

Edited January 6, 2021 by Dan27

[Anno]

I dont think any Local Authority in the country would be happy with the removal for the reasons given, the alergy risk would be Feb to June and just 'hayfever' and grasses are the most common source.

The TPO was served specifically due to the development you now live in, which was given planning permission despite the tree being present.

Can you provide evidence that the tree is causing health issues or damage at all? If not you will struggle...

Hang fire though, experts will be along to argue.

[Mick Dempsey]

Go for the subsidence/damage to property angle.

 

Got à picture?

[Doug Tait]

Agree with the point Anno made about evidence. Can you provide the authorities with anything that supports your belief that the single tree in question is causing your sons health problems?

 

Otherwise, I can't imagine the council being swayed in their decision based solely on your 'belief' the tree is the problem.

 

Hope you find a solution. 

[Khriss]

If it was built in the  90's with a retained tree in place, usual building  precautions should have been taken. An Area TPO should give room to maneouvre, get arb report and then put in an application to fell. Cite health concerns with Drs letter included. K

[Dan27]

We moved into the propety in the summer. 

We moved from an area which was more densely populated with few trees to one that is more rural. 

In my rear garden is this one tree and this tree is the Tulip tree. branches of the tree almost touch my son's window.

Shortly after moving in, my son started to suffer with a chronic cough. 

Due to covid - getting this looked at proved quite difficult but it mainly effected him/ we noticed it when he was in his room of a nightime. He would spend the night coughing, tossing and turning,etc. 

We finally were able to speak with some doctors and had several tests done - one of which was a RAST test which tests for allergens. 

The NHS does not test all allergens but the most popular ones. This showed he has an allergy to grass pollen, dust mites and pet hair. It didn't confirm that he was allergic to the pollen from the Tulip tree but it doesn't test against this type of tree as the tree is not native to the UK.

The local Astma Nurse (we discovered in October that he also has asthma) has stated that she believes the tree will be contributing to the air my son is breathing and has stated that if we can get it removed, she would recommend it.

 

Like I say, I am not sure that this belief is enough for the council to say that it would be OK to remove the tree - which is why I am not looking at other angles. 

 

The tree is growing 3ms away from my back door and is 50ft in height - is there anything here that can help me?

 

I've uploaded a picture of the tree and highlighted is my son's window to help show the situation in full.

 

[Dan27]

7 minutes ago, Khriss said:

If it was built in the  90's with a retained tree in place, usual building  precautions should have been taken. An Area TPO should give room to maneouvre, get arb report and then put in an application to fell. Cite health concerns with Drs letter included. K

Hi, I did consider this but was quoted £800 for a report. Does this seem about right? It seemed excessively high to me - when this is something I thought I might be able to do myself.

[Khriss]

A tree report! 800squids! Er no. Give or take an hour. Plus filing the application.  K

[Mick Dempsey]

Big tree alright, I can see why the council don’t want it removed. Nice area, amenity value, all that jazz.

[Dan27]

I assume from responses so far that there is nothing I can quote/use to show how far a large tree should be from your property?