1 Japan Crescent, London, N4 4BB
25% reduction. Clearnace to Boundary on west side garden. 2.5m height reduction. Clearance on boundary with railway and property of 3 Japan crescent. I wish to prune a large sycamore tree in my garden which has a TPO (no 83) and is in a conservation area. It has grown enormously in the 33 years we have lived here without being cut back. It is over 20m tall with a very wide spread. We wish to reduce its size while keeping the overall proportions and grandeur of the tree. We will employ a qualified professional tree-surgeon to do this. The tree is 4m from the neighbour’s garden and 2.5m from the railway embankment at the rear of the garden. Its branches extend a long way over the neighbour’s property – about 6m - less so over the railway land since the company trimmed the branches over its own land some years ago. It is overshadowing and suffocating other trees - two cypress trees, one growing 1.5m from the sycamore’s main trunk, an apple tree and a laurel, which have been there since we moved in in 1991, and have remained stunted by the sycamore. The reasons for pruning are: The tree is very large and top-heavy – and its branches are so long I fear they may start falling off. I fear that if the tree fell, it could fall on the house. If it fell the other way, it would fall onto the railway station (Crouch Hill). It is growing at the top of the railway embankment, where the garden level falls away at the NW corner – not the most secure place. There is no sunshine in the garden, which is in deep shade. We wish to grow a much wider range of native plants in the garden, and to be able to enjoy the light. At the moment the only plant that can grow there is ivy, apart from the trees mentioned above. I request permission to remove 4m all round, from the top and the sides. I would like also to lift the crown a metre or two so we can walk underneath the tree, by removing some of the branches close to the ground. I attach some photographs.