Debate flares up over future of 200-year-old Northampton town centre tree after safety warnings

The distinctive horse chestnut tree on Billing Road could be cut down.

A debate has flared up over the future of a 200-year-old Northampton horse chestnut tree that could be chopped down over safety fears.

The distinctive tree on Billing Road stands inside the grounds of Abington Dental Surgery, and is so large it drapes its branches over the surgery's car park walls and hangs over the pavement. It is even under a tree protection order by the council.

But a consultant has claimed the tree could pose a danger in the next year 10 years, and the dentists' manager, Mr Hiten Patel, has applied to have the mature horse chestnut cut down.

The tree has become so large it has damaged the surgery's boundary wall.

As a result, a nearby park conservation group, the Buddies of Beckets, is urging neighbours to object to the plan and save the centuries-old tree.

The plan has been submitted because the horse chestnut has grown so large its roots have caused the surgery's boundary brick wall to crack and could cause it to collapse if left unchecked.

In a report, assessors MPL Tree Consultants claims that while both the tree and the wall could theoretically both be saved, the costs would be "extremely high".

But neighbours and residents have responded coldly to the report.

Margeret Phillips, a retired NGH service manager, has lived on Billing Road close to the tree for more than 30 years. She said she has walked past the tree day and night for decades and wants it to be saved.

She said: "I'm a great grandmother and four generations of my family have lived here and loved that tree.

"I cannot give a professional opinion but there's no way such an impressive specimen of tree should be taken down."

Meanwhile, chair of the Buddies of Beckets park group Nick Stephen has called on supporters to write to the council and object to the plan.

He told the Chronicle & Echo: "This is a mature tree in a great location and I can see no reason for it to be cut down.

"We all know how important trees are. It's been there, we believe, for at least 200 years and could have another 100 years ahead of it. It's still got some life in it and it would be a shame to lose it. "

The Town Centre Conservation Area Advisory Committee Kate Servant also wrote to the council defending the tree.

A report on the council'ls planning page also says a replacement tree would be "mandatory" if the horse chestnut was removed.