Pear NW London: Advice Please

[Sal]

I was originally asked to quote for removing the Ash which sits behind the Pear to the rear of the garden, which I have done. I understand that the neighbour has been in touch recently with the local council with concerns over subsidence on his new garage (seen to the left of the picture) and the Pear which was reduced 18 months ago (not by us) . My customer is the Landlord who doesn't really want to spend out £400 every couple of years for a reduction (this was the charge last time) but is open to suggestions.

There aren't many trees in the nearby gardens and I wondered if there was any merit in trying to get the Pear back to the point where it appears to have been kept before ie: a metre or so above the fence over a few visits, or to go for remove and replace, in which case, bearing in mind the location and the fact that the Ash is also to go, can/should this be done in one hit?

I hope this isn't too rambling. Any advice/thoughts would be gratefully received. Cheers - Sal.

Edited March 21, 2011 by Monkey-D

[raafbeard]

I say the garage!! Altho the ash could be removed without too much heart break!

[Sal]

 

Not sure how I could word that without causing offence!

[raafbeard]

I know what you mean! Is a lovely pear though - I think removal is to harsh! I would suggest Ash out then light corrective thin, reduction for less than 200, no point in pruning too hard or re-pollarding. Then just keep it in check every 4 years or so. Garage looks rubbish!

[andrew]

You say the garage is new - how new?

If the pear is much older it is unlikely to be the (main) culprit, and also the garage should have been designed with foundations that were deep enough to allow for some seasonal change in soil moisture content - *if* it is clay soil.

 

So really it is the garage owner / builder / designer's problem , not the tree or tree owner!

Edited March 21, 2011 by andrew
spelling

[Sal]

Thanks for the responses.

Not sure exactly how new the garage is but I believe it to only be within the last couple of years. I would hope that the trees were taken into consideration by the builders when laying the foundations but honestly, I don't know. I am inclined to agree with you regarding the age of the tree and its alleged guilt.

My customer is the Landlord via a letting agent and there is definitely an element of keeping good feeling with the neighbour and cost. I have suggested contacting a local surveyor to get a more thorough report on that particular tree/building.

Looking at previous posts/reading a couple of articles I understand reductions need to be on the hard side when subsidence is a concern (?).

[Tony Croft aka hamadryad]

pollard the pear, will make a lovely pollard, needs restoring

 

fell the ash