Oakfield Road

The plane tree on Oakfield Road, Stroud Green , is under threat again. Haringey Council planned to fell it on 24th Nov, 2023 but an injunction by the home owner was sought and there will be a hearing sometime from Dec 11. The tree is caught up in a long-running insurance claim case where home owners and Haringey Council have been bullied by insurers Allianz and Aviva to fell it. Working together with loss adjusters, Crawfords, they are trying to wriggle out of vital structural work for the households whose claims have been outstanding for more than 8 years. In March, ‘23, Stroud Green resembled a combat zone when the tree was guarded by 12 security men, 24/7, causing profound local anger. The operation cost the council £92,000. The case has been at the centre of possession orders and injunctions, heard at both court and the High Court.

 Stroud Green in N4, has a unique number of avenues of veteran London Plane trees but there are 33 cases of claims against trees in just two streets, at least 200 across Haringey, possibly more now. These great Victorian beauties were planted at the same time as the houses to help soak up the smog of London’s streets, but they’re increasingly threatened with felling by insurance companies. The financial might and intimidation tactics by insurers means the tree department can’t or won’t challenge the claims in court as they may lose, so they tend to capitulate to the scandalous demand to fell healthy trees. The only other strategy they seem to have in place is to increase tree management with severe pollarding cycle, which may include a practice called topping which can impact tree health. Pollarding less sympathetically (stripping leaves and branches) reduces a trees ability to cool streets, disperse flood water, absorb carbon and provide safe habitats for birds and other species.