Wellingborough Save Our Trees campaigners urge residents to respond to Harrowden Road felling consultation

Wellingborough Walks Action Group (WWAG), formed to prevent the chopping down of the historic lime avenue in London Road, had successfully pointed out errors into the original consultation after discovering an ‘internal error’ at North Northants Council (NNC).

The consultation has been recommenced with WWAG urging people to have their say on the documents, including reports made on behalf of insurance company Aviva, concerning subsidence to a house in Roche Way.

WWAG co-founder, Marion Turner-Hawes said: “While we welcome the fact that the council has accepted that their previous consultations were flawed – we have had to write to them twice since November 2025 – we are disappointed that NNC is still planning to fell these healthy, mature maple and beech trees.”

NNC has said that should the proposal be upheld, the trees would be felled within eight weeks of the March 1 deadline.

Ms Turner-Hawes said: “Under the duty to consult, all responses to the consultation must be considered before a decision is taken. We are therefore urging supporters to respond to the consultation. While the trees are reported to be implicated in the subsidence of a neighbouring property, we have a number of initial concerns.

“There is no proper consideration of alternatives to felling, most importantly whether a root barrier could be installed or the property underpinned.

“The trees are healthy and mature – approximately 100 years old – with significant environmental and amenity value.

“There has been no attempt to assess this value of the trees when considering whether felling them is a sensible and proportionate solution."

As the consultation runs, the group has asked the home owners be treated with’ respect and compassion’.

A report used by the insurance company has estimated the trees as being the same age as the house built in the early 1970s, but WWAG estimate the trees to be decades older.

Ms Turner-Hawes added: “According to the insurer’s report, the property sits on clay soil and has shallow foundations. Despite this, there would appear to be no consideration of whether felling the trees will provide a lasting and effective solution to the subsidence problem, or if the property in fact needs underpinning.

“There has been no consideration of whether felling the trees will result in heave (the opposite of subsidence), which could result in further damage to the property.

“NNC does not appear to be applying their own recently updated Tree Management policy, which states that they will push for engineering solutions to avoid felling healthy trees.

“If these concerns are not addressed, the trees may be felled needlessly and the subsidence issues facing the property may not be effectively resolved.”

WWAG is now fundraising to pay for an expert report and a potential legal letter. The group is concerned if left unchallenged a precedent could be set with felling the go-to solution rather than ‘viable alternatives’.

To take part in the consultation commenced which closes on March 1, 2026 go to https://northnorthants.citizenspace.com/community-safety/roche-way-tree/

The insurer’s report can be found here: https://www.northnorthants.gov.uk/conservation-and-protection/tree-protection-and-high hedges/duty-consult-felling-street-trees

For more information about Save Our Trees https://saveourtrees.co.uk/.