High Court to hear battle over proposed felling by council of tree said to be causing subsidence damage to nearby homes

The London Borough of Haringey faces judicial review over a controversial tree felling.

A local resident gained an injunction to prevent the local authority taking possession of the tree and a judge subsequently allowed objectors to take out a judicial review, the council said.

Haringey said in a statement that if the tree remained it faced an insurance claim of up to £1m from insurer Allianz, which has said the tree is causing subsidence damage to policyholders’ homes.

The council said the High Court’s decision to take the dispute to judicial review “shows the magnitude of this decision and the challenge faced by boroughs up and down the country with the same dilemma”.

It said it was wrong that local authorities “are having to make the choice between saving a tree and paying huge sums of taxpayers’ money or felling a tree, so the insurers do not have to pay for tree damage cover”.

Scaffolding had been erected around the tree and security guards provided “to secure possession of the tree, prevent any unauthorised occupation, or anyone putting themselves at risk of injury” but these would be removed following the decision on judicial review.

A statement by Allianz said: “This is a complex and ongoing case and we await the decision of the court.

“Sustainability is a business priority for Allianz and we’ve not taken any decisions lightly.

“We’ve been diligent in our investigations to find the best solution to solve the subsidence problem and are working closely with industry experts and the Financial Ombudsman Service.”

Mark Smulian