Accidental death verdict

[Tony Croft aka hamadryad]

i worked for a local chap in wokingham. There was a plot of land opposite him with mature oaks on it. The owner of this land had a survey done on the trees and the report came back that one had rot in the base and should be felled, council said no and put a TPO on it.

Shortly afterwards( a few months i belive) the tree fell over, writing on his 4 day old car and causing about 30K of damage in total as it also hit his house.

 

Council turned around and said it was not there problem and he would have to claim off his home insurance.

 

so i cant see them bothering to even walk around there own trees and taking responsibility for there upkeep.

 

I have a couple of similar examples, trouble is the TO's have degrees, and us arbs tend not to have, so we get the "what do you know" attitude, and this will always be the case cos us arbs are only semi skilled labourers (apparently)

[Asplen]

Shortly afterwards( a few months i belive) the tree fell over, writing on his 4 day old car and causing about 30K of damage in total as it also hit his house.

 

Council turned around and said it was not there problem and he would have to claim off his home insurance.

 

so i cant see them bothering to even walk around there own trees and taking responsibility for there upkeep.

 

I have a couple of similar examples, trouble is the TO's have degrees, and us arbs tend not to have, so we get the "what do you know" attitude, and this will always be the case cos us arbs are only semi skilled labourers (apparently)

 

 

If a tree is in the process of being protected, there is an appeals process. If the appeal doesn't sit right you can appeal to the inspectorate.

 

If an application to fell a protected tree on safety grounds is refused [and it is important that it is refused rather than the application discarded because there was no information in it] then the council assume liability for the tree.

 

Even then if it is refused there is a comprehensive appeals process.

 

I've worked as a contractor and a TO and there are plenty of useless and great examples of both - generalising doesn't work and neither does segregating the industry into "us" and "them".

[skyhuck]

i worked for a local chap in wokingham. There was a plot of land opposite him with mature oaks on it. The owner of this land had a survey done on the trees and the report came back that one had rot in the base and should be felled, council said no and put a TPO on it.

Shortly afterwards( a few months i belive) the tree fell over, writing on his 4 day old car and causing about 30K of damage in total as it also hit his house.

 

Council turned around and said it was not there problem and he would have to claim off his home insurance.

 

so i cant see them bothering to even walk around there own trees and taking responsibility for there upkeep.

 

When I get a T/O who says that, I just advice him that the clients insurers will no longer cover that tree, as they have been advised its unsafe, so the council will now have to take responsibility for it.

 

When this is pointed out to them they seem to have a change of heart.

[Tony Croft aka hamadryad]

If a tree is in the process of being protected, there is an appeals process. If the appeal doesn't sit right you can appeal to the inspectorate.

 

If an application to fell a protected tree on safety grounds is refused [and it is important that it is refused rather than the application discarded because there was no information in it] then the council assume liability for the tree.

 

Even then if it is refused there is a comprehensive appeals process.

 

I've worked as a contractor and a TO and there are plenty of useless and great examples of both - generalising doesn't work and neither does segregating the industry into "us" and "them".

 

They are the ones dividing the industry, with that attitude.

 

its human nature to look downward in the chain of command and nowhere is it more prevelant than in our industry.

 

at the end of the day these examples revolve around a gross amount of incompetence, perpetuated by an arrogance in SOME, these examples also revolve around circumstances that involved that incompetence costing a great deal of financial and mental turmoil that could of should have would have been avoided.

 

there are good and bad elements in all sectors of all industries, but when those elements make BIG mistakes, they have it coming and then some, so no apologies for the generalisation, i have friends who are TO's and i know many good TO's

 

I could reel of dozens of catastrophic cases whereby a TO ignored/denied requests and reports by (semi-skilled labvoures or unqulified arbs) one or two even generating court cases, like the one in hemel hempstead involving a large chestnut deemed a hazard and requested fell, denied and weeks later collapsed into the forecourt of a well stocked honda showroom/garage.

 

trouble with Local authorities is thier proffesional and liability premiums are paid by US, they have too much security and disassociation PERSONLY from thier judgments IMO:thumbdown:

[Asplen]

Which authority Skyhuck?