A council has been criticised after it was revealed that it hired a fleet of security guards to protect a 120-year-old tree. Haringey Council took possession of the tree in north London around 4.30am on Sunday (March 12) morning and stationed a dozen guards around it, despite uproar from activists and residents.
The local authority said the measures were required to bar protesters from climbing up in an effort to stop the tree being cut down. In January, Clerkenwell County Court gave the council possession of the tree, but rejected the authority's injunction request and deferred the hearing until today (Wednesday).
At Clerkenwell County Court, the case was adjourned until 2pm tomorrow (Thursday). A resident has also lodged an injunction against the council felling the tree in the High Court.
Gio Iozzi, of Haringey Tree Protectors, said after the hearing: "Haringey Council carried out a dawn raid on our beloved plane tree on Oakfield Road, N4, at 4.45am on Sunday morning (March 12). The tree is wrapped in white plastic, has 24/7 security guards, a porta cabin on the road, a viewing platform and scaffolding.
"These are the extreme measures the state will go to to fell a healthy 120-year-old tree that is helping mitigate against the worst effects of the climate and biodiversity crisis. This is a brutal show of power by a council that claims it is committed to fighting the climate crisis. It is undemocratic and undermines the court hearing process we are involved in with the council.
"Thousands of pounds of our tax-paying money is being spent against our will on this. This is not the way to do democracy."
The row began last year, when insurance company Allianz blamed the tree for being the primary cause of subsidence to a property and demanded the council chop it down and admit liability for £400,000.
A spokesman for Allianz Group said today: "This is a complex and ongoing case and we await the decision of the court. Sustainability is a business priority for Allianz and we’ve not taken any decisions lightly.
"We’ve been diligent in our investigations to find the best solution to solve the subsidence problem and are working closely with industry experts and the Financial Ombudsman Service."
