Spirited Wakefield residents win fight to save 150-year-old lime tree considered a local landmark

A preservation order on the tree, on Station Road in Altofts, has been made permanent. Part of Altofts Hall Farm, the tree is thought to be 150 years old and is seen by local residents as a precious and pretty landmark, but it came within minutes of being felled in June.

Tree surgeons were seen with chainsaws and were preparing to chop it down, before neighbour Alison Lund confronted them and managed to get a temporary order from Wakefield Council. It meant the tree received a stay of execution.

Speaking at a planning meeting on Thursday, Mrs Lund urged the council to extend the order for good. She said: “Anyone coming into Altofts is greeted by the sight of this magnificent tree.

“This tree is not just any tree, it’s a landmark for Altofts. If we give these trees a chance of life, they will serve as a source of local pride now and in the future.

“Today I’d ask Wakefield Council to not just make promises about global warming, but to act on them.”

Mrs Lund told the meeting she had been told by a tree surgeon that he’d been instructed by the local landowner to chop it down, before she managed to stop them.

Local councillor Jacquie Speight also called for the tree to be spared, telling the planning committee that the community “have spoken”. She added: “The least we can do is to protect these trees from developers, many of whom will be prepared to destroy our heritage in the name of profit.”

No-one at the meeting argued against the campaigners, and the committee voted unanimously to make the order permanent.