Devon tree “blocking out the sky" causes row

Cemetery lime here to stay

A permanent tree protection order (TPO) has been slapped on a lime on the edge of a Tavistock cemetery after a resident called for its removal because he said it was blocking out the sky.

Graham Coker said the tree at New Cemetery in Plymouth Road was too close to his property and took away his right to light and made his house harder to insure.

He complained about aphids, bird excrement and falling leaves.

He said at a meeting of West Devon Borough Council’s development management and licensing committee that things had become a little contentious between him and the town council, who own the cemetery, after he had a line of fur trees removed along the boundary.

Mr Coker claimed that the lime was planted by a disgruntled former employee of the authority and it was now impacting his property and causing misery,

But the council’s tree officer Lee Marshall said in his 28 years in the role he had never heard of a property becoming uninsurable due to the presence of trees.

He said there had never been a proven case of a tree taking someone’s right to light because of slow growing nature of trees and seasonal debris fall was “a consequence of living amongst nature”.

“If it grew to 40 metres I would be very happy, it would be a champion tree of national interest, but I’ve not seen one of that size in this area.”

He told the committee that the tree could be pruned if it became an unreasonable size but if it wasn’t protected by a TPO it could be felled by the town council.

The specimen had public benefits and added to the tranquillity of the cemetery and improved air quality, he said, adding, “It’s only small tree but every one matters.”

Mourners and residents were current visible to each other because of a “paucity of trees” in that area which was amplified by the close clipping of the boundary hedge.

The committee agreed that a six month provisional TPO should be made permanent.