It needs to be recognised that the QEP estate includes much woodland with many mature trees.
Trees in communal areas will not normally be pruned or felled except where there is an issue with
the tree’s health, or a safety issue, both as assessed by a qualified tree surgeon or arboriculturist.
The tree maintenance budget funds jobs such as:
∙pruning back trees from houses
∙dealing with dead branches on otherwise healthy trees
∙occasionally, felling a tree which has become diseased to the point of being dangerous
∙treating a tree which appears to be ‘sick’ (e.g. the big oak on the main green needed a lot of
TLC in the past few years)
∙planting trees to replace those which have died or had to be removed because of disease or
damage.
Occasionally a resident may ask for a tree which grows in a communal area, but which they believe impacts their house, to be attended to. In such cases we ask the tree maintenance company to
inspect the tree to see what (if anything) might be the problem.
If there was a genuine issue of tree health or safety, it would be dealt with from estate funds.
However, estate funds cannot be used to prune trees, still less to remove them, merely because a tree has grown (as they do) and now shades a garden (from sun or rain) more than when the resident first moved in.
Our belief is that people buy property on QEP in full knowledge that there are trees around,
including large trees, and this for many is a key reason why they bought here. Trees do grow, and the
view from a property may change as this happens; ideally a purchaser would factor this in to their
decision to buy, or not.
There have been instances which fall into ‘grey areas’. Examples are:
1.Where a tree is judged (by experts) healthy and safe at present but it can be seen that there
would be a potential threat to a property if it were to shed a branch or even be blown over.
2.Where a resident requests pruning or even removal of a tree, is willing to pay the cost of the
work themselves, and the pruning or removal is judged not to have impact on the amenity of
the tree to the communal area.
These have each happened once. Such situations are dealt with on a case by case basis.
Householders do have the legal right to remove tree branches which overhang their property. In such a case, the best way to proceed is to discuss it with the relevant neighbour, or, if the tree is in a communal area, to raise it with Anthem and the QEPRMC gardening committee.
QEP residents should not chop branches off communal trees without consultation, as incorrect pruning can damage the health of trees and cause future problems; and should remember that the removed branches and any fruit on them belong to the landowner on whose land the tree grows, and should be offered to them before being disposed of. It should also be noted that pruning can cause a tree (or any plant) to grow back even more vigorously, so can be self-defeating.
The estate is covered by Public Liability Insurance for its communal areas, which means that if a tree branch did fall and – for example – damage a fence, a claim could be made against that insurance. If anything like that did happen, we would ask the homeowner to take plenty of photos so that an accurate record is available to support the insurance claim. Equally, if a tree on private property did somehow cause damage to someone else’s property, the tree owner would be liable for the damage, so people should check their household insurance covers such an event.
Last Updated: February 2024
Contact details:
Gardening Committee, QEP Residents Management Company: [email protected]
Anthem: [email protected] (Anthem deals with many estates, so you need to say you are writing about QEP, Guildford, and provide your address.)