Tying a protective ribbon around an old oak tree in Milton Keynes

The oak tree, believed to be more than 100 years old, was surrounded by houses as a Milton Keynes estate was built during the early 1990s.

Now neighbours in Old Farm Park are worried about the effect that the tree might have on their property, and the implications for their house structures and insurance.

Milton Keynes Council officers were tipped off that the tree, in the backs of homes in Irving Dale and Wishart Green, was at risk of being chopped down.

They immediately slapped a temporary tree preservation order (TPO) on the plant, which was pictured as part of a hedgerow in an aerial photo in 1945.

An objection to the TPO meant that councillors were asked to intervene and decide.

“There’s nothing exceptional here that deserved a TPO,” said Cllr Ric Brackenbury (Lib Dem, Campbell Park and Old Woughton) at the start of the debate. He later changed his mind.

“My colleagues are applying a much higher threshold than I have.”

But that lit the blue touch paper at Thursday’s online meeting of the development control committee.

“If you take the tree down, you can’t rebuild it,” said Cllr Keith McLean (Cons, Olney).

And farmer Cllr Andrew Geary (Cons, Newport North & Hanslope) said it was a “fine example” of an English oak which are not a common sight.

“It was so fine that they built Old Farm Park around it,” he added.

Tracy Darke, the council’s director of growth, economy and culture, told the committee that a TPO did not prevent a tree being chopped down if it was damaging property.

And despite mentioning the possibility of damage, objectors had not proved it with any structural surveys. If that evidence came forward in the future, the issue could be reconsidered.

“We would have to consider the evidence then,” she said. “It could be a liability for the council.

“The important thing now is to protect the tree so nobody chops it down tomorrow,” she added.

Before the vote, Cllr Brackenbury said he had been convinced to change his mind by the arguments, which completed a unanimous vote to protect the tree.

The committee also received a late letter from another resident in Irving Dale who wants to save the tree.

“My family and I do not want the Oak to be felled,” he said. “It is a lovely tree that has lived through two world wars, has a great warm presence and adds much needed character to the area.”