‘Save grandad’s tree’ plea to Sheffield Council wins approval

A tree preservation order was granted by Sheffield City Council’s planning committee at their August meeting for a dawn redwood tree growing in the back garden of a house in Sandygate Park, Crosspool.

The tree was planted in the 1980s by the late grandfather of the applicants, who had an interest in rare plants and trees, said council community tree officer Vanessa Lyons.

The elderly grandmother of the family lives in the house and is very keen to ensure that the tree will be preserved when her home is sold by the family after her death.

The house is not in a conservation area, which would have given the tree protected status.

Vanessa Lyons said: “I think this is an example of the right tree in the right place. It’s about 40 years old and will grow to about 30 metres. It will grow for 100 years.

“It’s the sole living example of its species – it was rediscovered growing in China in 1941 and thought extinct before that.”

She added that quite a few have also been planted by the council in the city centre.

Committee member Coun Nighat Basharat (Labour, Nether Edge and Sharrow) said: “I would support it and value the sentiments attached to it.”

The order means that it is an offence to lop, damage or cut down the tree and anyone doing so could be fined up to £20,000 under the Town andCountry Planning Act 1990.

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