Lessons to be learnt on tree saga after taxpayers stump up bill

North Yorkshire County Council has drawn up an action plan to avoid a repeat of the bitter five-year legal dispute with Scarborough Council, which came at a six-figure cost to taxpayers. It includes introducing a new protocol for tree removal in Scarborough and updating Tree Preservation Order procedures.

In a report outlining key areas where lessons can be learned, the county council admits the costs – believed to be up to £300,000 – attracted “a large amount of adverse publicity in the media and consequential reputational damage which it is not possible to calculate”.

It comes after a judge ordered the county council to foot the legal bill after the authority took Scarborough Council to York County Court over the costs incurred in the process of trying to cut down the tree in Irton, near Scarborough. The beech was finally felled last October despite the best efforts of villagers and eco-warriors who took up home in its branches.

Following last Thursday’s ruling, a county council spokeswoman told the Yorkshire Post that the costs to be paid by the authority are limited to a maximum of £100,000, with the rest being covered by its insurers.

The legal wrangle began with a feud between residents and the owners of a nearby property who fought to have the tree chopped down on safety grounds amid fears over damage to drains and a wall.

The argument went to court when Scarborough Council foiled an attempt by North Yorkshire County Council to have it felled, refusing to remove a tree preservation order and claiming its loss would “result in serious harm to the character of the village”. The county council eventually obtained permission to cut it down last September, but as the axe was about to fall, Scarborough resident Mark “Snoz” Snow decided to take a stand by tying himself to the beech’s trunk.

Four protesters followed Mr Snow into its branches and a number of last-ditch attempts to save the tree were made, including villagers holding several vigils in defiance of a High Court injunction stating it must come down and anyone found near it could face jail. Campaigners maintained the tree’s loss would have a devastating effect on the village.

The last protester, Vikki “Beechnut” Welsh, 17, remained defiant until the end, eventually being forced to climb down in tears minutes before contractors moved in to chop the tree down on October 4.