A tree which has been “causing mental health problems” has been saved following an angry dispute between neighbours.
The 14-metre-high Robina tree, which stands outside a home in Botany Bay Road in Southampton had been causing mental health problems according to its owner, due to the amount of complaints he received.
He had planned to chop the tree down but a neighbour tipped off Southampton City Council who have now protected it following a council planning meeting on Tuesday, which saw the homeowner object.
The council’s tree officer said: “I do understand that it’s not pleasant for a resident to receive negative comments regarding a tree.”
The tree blocks light, has spiky branches and poses a safety risk if it falls according to its owner who said taking care of the tree had been a “dreadful experience”.
His immediate neighbours had all agreed it needed to be felled, but while the group were saving up funds to carry out the work, another neighbour told the council to protect it.
The council then put a Tree Protection Order on it on July 10, which was then approved at the most recent planning meeting.
The tree’s owner said: “We are shocked to receive the TPO as we were constantly under the impression that those that lived under the effects of the tree only had one focus – that was to see it gone.”
Following his objection to the order a member of the council’s tree team told him negative comments were not enough to allow the Robina to be chopped down.
The council member said: “We cannot take negative verbal comments made to the tree owner as a legitimate reason for not protecting the tree.
“If the council were to accept this as a justified reason not to protect a tree, it would find it impossible ever to protect any tree within the city.”
The protection order was passed unanimously.
