03 March 2024 , 08:40
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A famous plant - thought to be the UK's tallest magnolia tree - has suddenly been slashed.
Residents in a suburb of Poole, Dorset are furious at the council after the magnolia tree was cut, as it had attracted tourists from all over the UK. It was planted more than 50 years ago and grew to 18 metres (60ft).
But it is understood there were concerns when it bloomed, the tree was at risk of falling and damaging any homes in its path. Residents nearby dispute this and have argued the tree should have been protected, rather than axed.
Brian Ellarby, 43, said: "Surely some judicious trimming could have made the magnolia tree safer but to simply take it down is as far as I’m concerned is just an act of violence. It is a tragedy. We’ve lived here for years and thought it was a lovely tree. We're devastated that it has gone."
And Kelly New, 50, who walks her dog Cosmos through the cemetery opposite, is appalled that such a mature tree could have been toppled. Kelly, from Poole, said: "I love trees and there’s nothing quite like seeing a magnolia tree in full bloom – it heightens your senses just seeing the wonderful flowers. I’ve tried to grow a magnolia and know how difficult it can be so for such a wonderfully mature tree like this to disappear is heartbreaking."
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The magnolia plant, pictured in March 2019, was a famous tree (BNPS)Matthew Haynes, 49, a self-employed businessman who lives a few yards from where the tree stood said he was shocked at the magnolia’s demise. He said: “To be honest it has always been there and it is like losing an old friend now that it has gone.
"I would like to know who said it was dangerous because anyone can say something like that but I would hope the authorities would independently assess the claim before allowing such a wonderful tree to be destroyed. One person’s dangerous tree is another person’s tree in need of pruning. It was such a sight to behold in the spring when it came into flower – now there’s nothing."
The tree was planted in a back garden decades ago by the then owners of a property. The current owners had commissioned a tree surgeon to inspect it, who discovered its state of decay, it is believed. The owner who planted the tree died in the 1980s, it is understood.
Nature lovers have lamented the loss of what was believed to be Britain's tallest magnolia tree (BNPS)
The magnolia tree has now been toppled for health and safety reasonsA Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole council officer agreed it should come down, saying it could fall on to any one of three properties if it was blown down in its weakened state, it is said.
Graham Whitehall, of the Dorset Lake community group, said: “It’s a difficult one. I’m a big tree lover but I think this was the right tree in the wrong place. We had heard rumblings about the fact it was no longer there and then we got confirmation that the owners got permission to fell it.
"It’s a Marmite moment: you will have some people saying it’s the owner’s tree they can do what they want, and others will say it’s a public amenity and should be protected. It was magnificent, but at the end of the day the person who owns that property is responsible for that tree and if they feel it is a danger and have done everything in the correct way, there’s nothing you can do about it."
The council, which The Tories lost last year to no overall control, previously said the magnolia “contributes significant visual amenity” to the area and is a “fine example of an unusual tree" and therefore has "rarity value”.
Council records showed some neighbours had previously complained the tree had grown too big for the plot and made a lot of mess – with the fallen petals said to fill five wheelie bins a year. The Mirror has contacted Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council for comment.