Gary Prentice

Is a copy of an email between a TO and the homeowner really, legally, heresay though? jose has relied on that, as has the owner in instructing him. I would do the same. Ive had a new homeowner show me the land search results from her solicitor, no statutory protection in a garden that I knew was in a CA. It wouldn’t be unreasonable, nor unprofessional, to rely on a solicitors searches would it? LAs make mistakes, you can’t deny that, it’s how they act when the truth comes out that matters.

I’m inclined to take the F.C. maps with a pinch of salt. I think I heard that the current theory is that it was here well before it’s first recording and it either isn’t being reported or the F.C. haven’t been able to keep up with confirming reports. I was told last summer by our TO of a few areas locally, where he’d seen it and after that started to notice it everywhere. I’ve been between Warrington, Macclesfield and Bolton, surveying development sites, and seen it at all of them and travelling between them.

Thanks for the update, sounds like the outcome, for you at least.

Everyone's invited!! There's adverts on the telly saying so.

How quick does this develop in mature trees? I seem to remember some advice somewhere that matures trees could survive for quite a few years with it, before they have to go. We're just starting to see it in saplings up here.

If you check yourself, by contacting the LA and they don't have the layers on, you're still in the same boat unfortunately. It's happened to me!

Historic!!! If only it was.. Please do.

https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?PID=599 Coming back vigorously isn't the same as saying it will come back in a natural attractive form Mick. I thought that my post was clear enough, based on my experience. But if the customer is happy with a bog brush on a hat rack, cart on

You beat me to it Roz. The sooner everyone gets all TPOs and CAs online the better. At least the contractor can protect themselves and not rely on someone at the other end of the phone switching the right layers on on a map.

I've a couple at home. Pruning normally results in a mass of new water shoots growing vertically. I think the accepted advice generally is to avoid pruning. I don't where you are, I'm in Manchester and hardiness doesn't seem to be much of an issue. I think any pruning is likely to cause unwanted consequences, so is reduction really necessary - on the stated grounds. Are there indications, or a history, of failure. Could some bracing or other means of support be an option, or is it really that the tree has outgrown its position? Others may have differing experiences, but any that I've done haven't reacted well and IMO lost their aesthetic appeal - but I'm probably overly fussy.

If you were really serious about this, you'd spend your life saving, sell the tent and live in a cardboard box outside the court though

It will be, but nature evolves. In a few hundred years there will probably be mature ash around that are resistant or tolerant to the fungus and life goes on. Maybe we just think about things in our time, not tree time. It does show the importance in the urban situation of the need for a rich species diversity. The planting palette used by landscape architects and town planners is far to narrow generally.

I’m a long way from siding with theLA. Ive spent too many hours in the planning office reading the case files and associated documents, correspondence and memos to believe that they always act appropriately.

Can there be a balance of probability where either is equally probable?

Half hr ago Jose said he'd searched personally. Or that's the way I'm reading it.

Yes, it would, as I said three pages back. If there is and it’s been contravened, the defence is that despite every reasonable attempt to ascertain the status of the trees, the LA consistently failed to provide the correct information. Id refuse the caution, if everything is as has been claimed. The legal dept are extremely unlikely to risk a court case highlighting The consist failure of the council

Is there a TPO or not?

Fungal mycelium colonising the timber by growing through the vessels. You can see the where the mycelium is growing through the trees rays horizontally in the last picture.

I love reading a good rant...

The way I underdtand it is, if there is a TPO in place and you contravene it, for whatever reason - you’re guilty. Then the mitigating circumstances come into play, for the judge to consider. Ive felled a TPOd tree after the call centre said no restraints. A later check on a house two doors up revealed a big Area TPO. I went straight to the TO, told him the story & waited to see what happened. Legal department phoned us, I offered all of our Search Records up, every address we’ve searched, which LA, the name of the person who we’d spoken to. All to demonstrate that we act reasonably to establish constraints. The error, on that occasion, wasn’t ours, and I would have happily gone to court but the LA decided not to take any action. It might have been interest if they had. I don’t think that in that case I would have accepted a caution and the guilt implied.

Tight arse I've already said I'd be happy at more than that. Steve, is it possible to download an apple based app to a pc (win 10). I often work at one and then have to find my phone, blah de blah... It would be nice to have the resource on my desktop.

Maybe that is how the market is. Everyone expects them to be a few quid and the mindset isn't to pay more. I'll download something and bin it, cos it's only cheap. I can only speak from buying books, I'll give a fair amount of thought before spending £100 + on one that I think is going to be useful and will be referred to a lot. But if I see it in the flesh, on a trade stand, I know what I'm getting and give it a lot less thought. Apps just seem to be 'pile em high and sell them cheap', which may discourage niche apps. It's a shame.

I'm thick, but not that thick! Should have elaborated my comment I suppose. On the odd occasion that I end up at an app store the number of apps that do the same thing amazes me ( and the fact that they're for pennies) I've the NHBC foundation depth calculator and the BGS one, they're like £3.99 each. How many people want to know how deep the foundations want to be because of the surrounding trees? And why are they so stupidly cheap? If you buy a specialist, niche market, book it's expensive and justifiably so. Is the app market place restricted as to what you are allowed to charge? I don't quite get that some institutions charge £25 to download a journal paper yet something like the Fungi app is 2.99 or 3.99 or whatever it is. It would be interesting to poll the previous users of the app, to see how much they would be prepared to pay to own a new version. As a decent resource, in a niche market, I'd expect and be happy to pay above the normal rate of the 'viral' market apps (most of which I download, look at, realise they don't supply what I need and then delete)

I’d like to think the best of people, but.... could it be that the quote is way over the top and the contractor fears that in the interval between now and September the tree owner might wise up and cancel? At least with a deposit, he’s something for the time quoting. Or am I just jaded with societies morals and ethics?

They were a bit more ‘appealing’ when proper arbs were involved in the process, and why should I waste yet more of my time due to the LAs incompetence? A complaint to the councils CEO may be the first port of call. This same council argued the toss about numbering trees previously. They backed down when I asked if, as the tree of whatever TPO ref no. Was shown on the other side of the fence (in next doors garden) on their plan, why were we arguing over tree numbers when I could just go ahead and fell it anyway? This app is annoying, no TO would spend more than two minutes on site determining it. It doesn’t warrant the aggravation and delays involved.