Campaigners hoping to save a historic 170-year-old tree that faces the chop have ‘taken the fight’ to insurance giant Aviva at its UK HQ – accusing the firm of secrecy in its push to have the oak pulled down.
Locals earlier this year chained themselves to the ‘majestic’ oak which dates back to the Victorian era in 7,600-population Wivenhoe in Essex, defying attempts so far to axe it – and have now been ramping up the pressure.
The tree has been threatened with being toppled, after complaints by neighbours that its underground roots cause subsidence damage to their homes – and Aviva has said the tree needs cutting down as a result.
The felling was put on hold in February on the promise of further investigations.
But now Wivenhoe Town Council has announced its faith in two confidential reports drawn up on behalf of the local authority and insurers Aviva – and insisted the tree must be chopped down after all by next February.
A nearby horse chestnut tree at the same car park in the Essex town, bordering a row of Victorian homes built beside a railway track, is also under threat.
Activists against the move say they have been kept in the dark over just how many homes might be affected, and how.
And they have now taken to the street outside Aviva’s London HQ with a noisy protest, bearing loudhailers and protest placards, demanding the insurance giant goes public with its evidence for pulling down the trees.
Slogans were chanted and borne on banners, including ‘Aviva, release your reports’, ‘Stop insurers felling trees’, ‘Aviva has our report, where is theirs?’, ‘Trees before profit’ and ‘Respect existence or expect resistance’ – while masks were worn with the face of Aviva’s chief executive Dame Amanda Blanc.
The so-called ‘Stop The Chop’ campaign has been led by 32-year-old architect and sustainability specialist Kat Scott, though many of those taking part in the demonstrations – and vigils at the site – are retirees in their 60s, 70s and 80s.
Speaking at Tuesday’s protest in the City of London, Rina Isaacson, 61, told the Daily Mail: ‘It’s very frustrating – we seem to be in the same place we were in January.
‘Aviva are still not publishing their reports or their evidence. They’ve pushed Wivenhoe Town Council into having to tear the oak down by the end of February.
‘There are things that could be done to lower the impact the tree will have on the ground. The tree will not mean a house doesn’t need underpinning.
‘The effect the trees are having is minimal. Chopping them down might be the cheapest option, but we can’t get the trees back – and it would be devastating for Wivenhoe’s biodiversity.
‘I hope we’ll get to talk to everyone around the table, open discussions with Aviva and with Wivenhoe Town Council.
‘But we need Aviva to open up their information and talk to us and allow Wivenhoe Town Council to talk to us.
‘We’re willing, we’ve said right from the beginning – we’ll do what we can to help.’
When asked about the prospect of similar protests to earlier this year, with people chaining themselves to the tree, Ms Isaacson hoped they would not be needed.
She added: ‘We’d much rather it be peaceful and around a table, not around a tree. At this point, there are no plans – I don’t know what will happen.’
Fellow demonstrator Terry Garland, 76, said: ‘Things had calmed down – we thought we were safe, over the summer.
‘Then the town council announced they were reinstating their earlier decision to fell the trees and it would happen early in the New Year.
‘We thought, let’s take this to the top – shout a bit, wave a few things around, see if anyone takes any notice.
‘It’s not just Aviva – many insurers are doing it. It’s the cheapest option – if they blame a tree near a house, that’s a lot cheaper than underpinning the home.’
Cathy Crawford, 71, a retired history academic who worked at the University of Essex having moved to England from Canada in 1976, said: ‘I’m mainly bothered above all by the lack of transparency.
‘The people responsible for looking after our amenities are not being open with us, they’re not sharing their evidence with us.
‘I understand some trees will have to go – but not this one.
‘The oak is in the centre of a really quite ugly parking lot but the parking lot is a bit of a village square – and this tree is uplifting.’
The so-called ‘King George Oak’ was initially believed to be 150 years old, before campaigners brought in experts who estimated it dates back as far as 170 years.
Ms Scott – who launched a petition to save the trees which has more than 5,000 signatures – told how she was concerned for her two-year-old daughter who is a keen user of a nearby play area.
She said: ‘I take her to the park, appreciating the shade of the oak tree.
‘I would be very guilty if not helping to keep it – and sad if next summer the tree’s not there.’
She added: ‘Until now this dispute has been heard locally in Wivenhoe, with little inconvenience to Aviva.
‘We want to show a sense of the strength of feeling and bring it to their front door – and maybe help them realise this community is not going to give up without a fight.
‘Hopefully we can show these insurers how much the British public cares about trees.
‘We’ve been trying to talk to Aviva but just get faceless complaint email responses – we’ve not had a direct dialogue. All we want is to have a conversation face to face so they can hear our side.
Ms Isaacson agreed about the potential effects on the play area, saying: ‘Without that shade, in the summer months the area would be unusable – especially with all the metal struts on the equipment there, which would heat up and just be dangerous.’
Campaigners say the oak and horse chestnut provide ‘significant environmental and community benefits’, such as supporting local biodiversity and cooling the playground by up to 6C to 8C in summer.
Gabi Barrett, from Cowfold in West Sussex, told of joining the demonstration as an act of support – amid similar concerns for trees in her village and in nearby Billingshurst.
She said: ‘We have trees that have been implicated in subsidence as well and insurers are trying to ensure they’re cut down. We’re here in solidarity.’
An independent report commissioned by the campaigners, costing £20,000 raised through a crowdfunding drive, reported earlier this year.
It suggested multiple potential causes of ground movement – including drainage issues, railway vibrations, shallow foundations and ground conditions.
But two separate reports upon which the town council based its view remain confidential.
The three demands made as part of the protest outside Aviva HQ include releasing the full technical evidence for the subsidence claim.
The others are ‘engaging directly with the community and independent experts in a meaningful manner’ and exploring alternative approaches instead of felling the trees as a first option.
Ms Scott said: ‘Aviva is forcing our small town council into felling irreplaceable trees while simultaneously preventing anyone from seeing the evidence that supposedly justifies this.
‘If Aviva is confident in its position, it should have no issue sharing the full reports. Our community deserves transparency given the strength of feeling on this issue.’
When contacted by the Daily Mail for a response, Aviva said: ‘This is a complex and sensitive matter which we are keen to resolve in the best way for all the parties involved.
‘Whilst we are unable to share specific details due to policy and customer confidentiality, we would like to reassure you that we are working hard to provide the most suitable solution.’
The firm was aware of Tuesday’s protest but suggested it was unable to agree to any meeting, according to sources.
The town council has pointed to reports blaming the tree for subsidence damage to local homes.
It also insisted further delays to taking it down could leave the authority ‘facing a financial liability at a level way beyond’ its cash reserves.
In the authority’s latest statement paving the way for potential felling by the end of February, Wivenhoe Town Council praised the campaign group for its ‘dedication to advocating in this matter’.
The statement went on to say: ‘We are not of course at liberty to discuss the details of the legal claim against the town council.
‘But what we can say is that the insurer of two properties that have been affected by subsidence have called upon Wivenhoe Town Council to take action to prevent an ongoing legal “nuisance”, the definition of which is “unreasonably and substantially interfere with the use or enjoyment of a home or other premises, or injure health or be likely to injure health”.’
The decision to push ahead with felling the trees was based on ‘sound, impartial advice, following on from careful and thorough review’, they said.
The authority added: ‘The findings of the council’s independent expert investigations clearly support the view that the oak tree and the horse chestnut are causing subsidence, which in turn is causing damage to claimants’ properties.
‘We therefore respectfully call upon all parties to allow the council to fulfil its legal obligations without obstruction.
‘Naturally, we remain open to constructive dialogue with the Wivenhoe Old Oak Group, including discussion of how to best ensure the commemoration of the trees and creating a fitting legacy.
‘We also take this opportunity to welcome any new and further opportunities to work together on future initiatives with the aim of enhancing and protecting Wivenhoe’s natural environment.
‘Working together, we have can create something positive for future generations of Wivenhoe residents.’
Read more
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- How is the battle over a historic tree threatening the livelihoods of Wivenhoe’s local businesses?
- Why did RSA Insurance axe a 110-year-old ‘majestic’ oak tree without prior notice, leaving Fareham council and locals seething?
- How are concerned Weymouth residents, like Caz Dennett, rallying against the council’s startling palm tree removal decision?
