Popular poplar at root of row (From The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald)

Popular poplar at root of row

Cristina Carneiro de Mendonca with the children at the protest (30809)CHILDREN marched through a village in a peaceful protest on Monday, in an attempt to save a 40-year-old tree from the chop.

A group of 15 children aged between four and 18 carried a Save our Tree banner through Stockton, near Warminster, to the home of landlord Nicholas Yeatman-Biggs, who has ordered the 60ft poplar to be felled.

The tree stands in the grounds of Topps House in the village, which is owned by the Yeatman-Biggs Discretionary Trust.

Mr Yeatman-Biggs, who is clerk to the parish council, applied for the tree to be felled because he said it posed a danger to the 400-year-old house and its foundations.

Cristina Carneiro de Mendonca, who is a sitting tenant at Topps House, has parked her cars, a Fiat Panda and classic Mercedes Benz in front of the tree to prevent tree surgeons from carrying out their work. They were due to take the axe to the tree on August 8, but have been unable to start work because of the protest.

Mrs de Mendonca whipped up support from fellow Stockton residents and took a petition of 30 signatures, together with the children's hand drawn pictures of the tree, on the march to Mr Yeatman-Biggs' home.

She said: "To tear this tree down would take away from the character of the village. I don't think it poses a danger to the house and I would like Mr Yeatman-Biggs to reconsider his decision."

Stockton resident Martha De Oliveira, of Plough Cottages, said the tree held a special place in the heart of her daughter Mya.

"When Mya was a baby she used to look out of her window at beautiful tree across the road," she said. "When the leaves rustled in the wind they used to soothe her and help her to sleep."

Four-year-old Mya said: "Please don't tear down our tree, it's so pretty."

Mr Yeatman-Biggs, a retired farmer whose family have lived in the village since 1750, said he sympathised with the protest but had no option but to order the tree to be cut down.

"Sometimes people do not realise the danger trees can cause to property," he said.

"I don't want to fell the tree but I don't really have much of a choice.

"I have planted more than 30,000 trees on my land since 1962 and I will definitely look into the possibility of replacing this poplar with a much smaller tree."

West Wiltshire District Council principal planning officer Peter Westbury said the tree was not covered by a tree preservation order and Mr Yeatman-Biggs had every right to fell the tree.