District wakes from the storm Options

[Phil_D11102]

I don't understand what happened here.

There are trees down on Heron Way and The Moors. It appears that the only thing "the Council" has done is to cut enough away to clear the road. The cut away bits have been left on the pavement.

Would it not make sense to cut it all down, remove it, and present the bill to the homeowner who would be responsible for paying it either themselves or through the insurance company.

Right now the remains of the trees are either still in the road, or on the pavement. It is still a safety hazard..

[blackdog]

Anybody need some firewood?

We had a tree come down in 2007 - the gannets were soon around, the whole lot disappeared in a couple of days.

[motormad]

I don't understand what happened here.

There are trees down on Heron Way and The Moors. It appears that the only thing "the Council" has done is to cut enough away to clear the road. The cut away bits have been left on the pavement.

Would it not make sense to cut it all down, remove it, and present the bill to the homeowner who would be responsible for paying it either themselves or through the insurance company.

Right now the remains of the trees are either still in the road, or on the pavement. It is still a safety hazard..

I hardly think it right to just demand homeowners be billed for things like that.. hardly their fault is it.
"HOW DARE YOU HAVE A NICE GARDEN".

Most people have enough stress in their lives and let's not forget to mention the countless trees that are owned by the Queen / Local Councils that have crushed cars... do the council pay to fix it? Or does the queen? NO

[MontyPython]

Would it not make sense to cut it all down, remove it, and present the bill to the homeowner who would be responsible for paying it either themselves or through the insurance company.

Brilliant way to ensure people no longer have trees in their garden! How to worsen the environment in one swoop.

[dannyboy]

I don't understand what happened here.

There are trees down on Heron Way and The Moors. It appears that the only thing "the Council" has done is to cut enough away to clear the road. The cut away bits have been left on the pavement.

Would it not make sense to cut it all down, remove it, and present the bill to the homeowner who would be responsible for paying it either themselves or through the insurance company.

Right now the remains of the trees are either still in the road, or on the pavement. It is still a safety hazard..

I think the priority is to clear the road - you know so that those who think the car is the be all & end all can get to the corner shop & back.

[Andy Capp]

I think the priority is to clear the road - you know so that those who think the car is the be all & end all can get to the corner shop & back.

And also to keep the road clear for emergencies and free from potentially fatal accidents.

[On the edge]

I think the priority is to clear the road - you know so that those who think the car is the be all & end all can get to the corner shop & back.

Which corner shop is this? If only!

[dannyboy]

Which corner shop is this? If only!

One Stop, Avon Way.

[On the edge]

Nah - can catch the bus to there! You must be thinking of the one in Eastfields which has just closed.

[dannyboy]

Nah - can catch the bus to there! .

that's why it is called 'One Stop'.....

[Phil_D11102]

I hardly think it right to just demand homeowners be billed for things like that.. hardly their fault is it.
"HOW DARE YOU HAVE A NICE GARDEN".

Most people have enough stress in their lives and let's not forget to mention the countless trees that are owned by the Queen / Local Councils that have crushed cars... do the council pay to fix it? Or does the queen? NO

Your missing the point. You decide to have a massive tree in your garden, and if it falls over into the road whose responsible for this?

If a tree on a road maintained by the council falls over and destroy's a car, the council is responsible.

[motormad]

Many people buy into a house with a tree on the premises. You may not have permission to actually cut it down.

And you missed my point - they don't pay...

[MontyPython]

Your missing the point. You decide to have a massive tree in your garden, and if it falls over into the road whose responsible for this?

If a tree on a road maintained by the council falls over and destroy's a car, the council is responsible.

No we're not missing the point - we don't agree with you!

The benefits for the environment of having trees in people gardens far outweigh the dis-benefit of the few that come down after a severe storm.

[blackdog]

And you missed my point - they don't pay...

But they can be liable:

A tree is the responsibility of the owner of the land they grow on, regardless of who planted them. If a tree causes damage, the owner may be liable. However, your chance of making a claim would usually depend on demonstrating that the owner had been negligent; if the tree was obviously unsafe through disease or damage, for example.
http://www.which.co.uk/documents/pdf/the-law-on-trees-153989.pdf

Councils rarely bother pursuing owners for the cost of clearing trees - too much hassle, no guarantee of success. It's cheaper to just clear the road

[user23]

Would a council being able to enter your property and remove what they like (in this case a tree from the garden) be a good thing?

[On the edge]

Would a council being able to enter your property and remove what they like (in this case a tree from the garden) be a good thing?

Interesting point. As I understand it, the answer is no, save under some circumstances which would need authority from the Magistrates. They do have the same right ad the rest of us, that is the ability to cut back anything growing over their land, provided they give the cuttings back to the owner. So, all WBC need to, to keep highways and paths clear, is back back the foliage and dump it in the owners garden.

[motormad]

No we're not missing the point - we don't agree with you!

Dunno why but that made me laugh for like 10 minutes.

I need professional help.

[Exhausted]

Would a council being able to enter your property and remove what they like (in this case a tree from the garden) be a good thing?

What they can do, if the tree officer believes you have a dangerous tree, is serve a tree order on the property owner. If it is a listed tree or a specimen tree then the owner must consult with the tree officer before carrying out any cutting down, trimming, pollarding or groundwork near the roots anyway.

[Ruwan Uduwerage-...]

Dear Forum members,

Please be aware that although West Berkshire Council is still responding to flooding issues the scale has reduced such that the Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) has now CLOSED.

A smaller team of officers is still coordinating the response and a group is working on the recovery process so the coordinating continues both internally and with other agencies.

Contact details are as follows:

Customer Services during office hours (01635 519080)
EMERGENCY out of hours contact centre out of hours for EMERGENCIES ONLY (01635 42161)

Hopefully now West Berkshire Council will undertake a full open and transparent review of how it and the other agencies performed during the crisis which let us not forget some members of the public are still suffering from.

Sadly though, I suspect that there will be resistance to a review that includes seeking the thoughts of the public, so if you, like I believe that there should be some public scrutiny please feel free to leave your comments here as well as contacting you local Councillor.

Ruwan Uduwerage-Perera
Newbury Town Council - Councillor for Victoria Ward & Deputy Leader