Bretton oak tree: Peterborough City Council not planning to hold inquiry into felling of historic oak

A controversial decision to chop down a huge oak tree in Peterborough will not be the subject of an inquiry, council chiefs have said.

The 600-year-old tree, that had stood in Ringwood, Bretton, was cut down last week after campaigners spent about a year trying to save the oak.

The felling had prompted a call from Councillor Nick Sandford that there should be an inquiry into the events that had led up to the felling.

He had previously said: "I am calling for a full scrutiny inquiry held in public on the "Bretton Oak" debacle. We must learn lessons, make public the true costs and ensure this never happens again.”

But a Peterborough City Council spokesperson said: “All the proper decision making processes were followed.

"There is no reason to hold an inquiry and we are not planning to take any further action.

The spokesperson pointed out that there had been an attempt by a councillor to call-in the decision before the tree was felled, to look at the original decision but this had not been successful.

Campaigners took the decision to cut down the tree that they even took the issue to the county court where it was rejected on the grounds that it did not have the jurisdiction to deal with the matter.

The council opted to take down the tree in order to remove its liability for repairs to a nearby home and insurance company claims it has been damaged by the tree. It estimated that underpinning the house could cost up to £150,000.