As you are hopefully aware North Northants Council (NNC) re-started the Street Tree Consultation process for the possible felling of 4 mature trees on Harrowden Road, opposite the Pyghtle, on Friday 12th December 2025.
This process allows 28 days for residents to have their say about the possible felling of these trees. It also provides time for us to ask for more information as to why the Council is even considering felling, and any other steps they have considered, ‘other than’ felling, and why they may have rejected those alternatives.
This is the second time in the past couple of months that these trees have been under threat. During the first phase in November 2025, the Council put notices up saying the trees were to be felled within 8 weeks, effectively ignoring the legal requirement to consult with the public about the felling. Once we realised that they were not following the correct process I wrote asking them to end the process and, if required, re-start it appropriately. This they did at the time.
Since 12th December, Wellingborough Walks Action Group (WWAG) have been checking the Council’s new process, and have once again found errors in their approach which means they are still not complying with their own published Street Consultation method on their website (please see the link here: https://www.northnorthants.gov.uk/conservation-and-protection/tree-protection-and-high-hedges/duty-consult-felling-street-trees)
Having checked and discovered the further errors, we wrote to NNC requesting the missing information be shared asap. They replied that no insurance reports (which would explain the context in this situation) could be shared. I asked again, and had the same reply.
As a result we asked Alice Goodenough from our solicitors to write to NNC pointing out the errors in their Street Tree Consultation process and asking NNC to once again cease the process, and only re-start it when they can supply the required information. Alice submitted this letter to NNC on Friday 19th December. A copy of the letter is shared below for your information.
NEXT STEPS…
We hope the Council will heed this request, and its inherent warning that once again they are breaching another of their own key administrative processes. But they may well decide to carry on the consultation regardless. If that does happen, we plan to submit a response from WWAG on this matter, highlighting these and many other concerns.
The main initial issue here is that, as the Council is not providing the required detail about why these 4 mature trees may even need to be felled, it is extremely difficult for any of us to comment through the consultation in a meaningful way because of the lack of information. We are being left to guess as to the reasons for proposed felling other than knowing that they (the trees) have been identified as a possible source of structural damage for a neighbouring property. However, if NNC refuse to halt the consultation process all any of us can do at that stage is to share our thoughts, concerns and questions about the proposed felling anyway, before the 12th January 2026 deadline.
A further thing we could all do now, however, is to ask for full disclosure of the information relevant to this case through an Environmental Information Request, and we urge you to do this as soon as possible.
Hopefully, if enough of us request this NNC will decide to publish this vital information, this would be helpful for all of us. We expect that NNC may have to redact some information but there should be enough visible for residents to be able to understand the context better and any alternatives to felling that have been considered, this is information which they are required to provide in this process.
What we have been able to glean so far is that residents of a neighbouring property lodged a claim for compensation to the Council for damages to their property regarding these trees. The Council investigated the claim and are now considering felling the trees, and we know the claim is an insurance claim and to do with subsidence affecting the property. We are also aware that the issue of insurance companies pushing for trees close-by housing to be felled in subsidence cases is now sadly common place across the UK. We do not yet know if this is the situation here as limited information has been provided by the Council to aid understanding.
Please, we urge, do take the time to have your say on this important matter.
TREATING THE NEIGHBOURS WITH RESPECT…
Unlike the situation with the protected trees on The Walks, a household is being directly affected in this situation and is experiencing distress because of it. We believe this situation has been affecting them for a number of years and understandably they will wish to see the matter resolved as soon as possible. It’s helpful to be aware too that they may have no choice in the action that is being suggested. Given this, we ask that people treat the family with respect and compassion.
Any one of us could be in their situation, and with ever increasing likelihood of subsidence because of the longer hotter / drier summers and wetter winters which don’t mix well with the largely clayey soil of Wellingborough, many more of us could be affected in future. So please if you are commenting publicly, be kind and considerate to the householders. Thank you.
HELPING WITH COSTS….
Since WWAG started in March 2023, we have been collecting and raising funds to help save the protected trees on The Walks, on London Road, which we are continuing to do.
However, this is the first time we are incurring costs to challenge processes to help save other trees in the town, if we can. Given this, we need your support and contributions to help make this happen. We have done what we can already to avoid incurring costs by liaising closely with NNC colleagues, but now it felt important to go further and pay for legal assistance given the Council’s refusal to share the information to appropriately enable this consultation.
If you are able to spare a few pounds to go towards costs in this case that would be greatly appreciated. Donations can be made to Wellingborough Walks Action Group Ltd in a number of ways:
(a) via a bank transfer – for this option please email Marion at marion@wwag.org.uk and I can provide the bank account details. Please put ‘Harrowden Rd Trees’ in the subject line
(b) if you wish to pay by card please click the button below or call Jonathan on 07954 082802 and he will arrange a card payment with you over the phone.
To help us to keep all contributions for this case separate, please mark donations as ‘Harrowden Rd Trees’. Thank you.
(c) cash donations can be made either by contacting Marion via email or by visiting Wellingborough’s ECO HUB in person on Tuesday’s (10am to 6pm) or Thursday’s (10am to 2pm), or Sunday’s (12 noon to 3pm) each week.
OUR COMMITMENT…
To be clear, we are aware that the information that we hope NNC will provide will help us all to see that the trees either; are not the cause of the impact on the neighbouring property, or that felling them would not help reduce that impact of subsidence, or that the trees could be saved by other mitigations being deployed, such as root barriers being installed.
But we are also aware that the information may clearly show that the 4 mature trees (or at least a couple of them) are the cause of concern and the situation may best be addressed by felling those trees. At this stage we don’t know.
So we need to be clear with you that our endeavours may not (ultimately) save these trees.
However, we believe it’s very important that the Council (and all involved parties) act appropriately in these matters and follow their rules and government direction correctly. We hope by being engaged and taking action we can all make a strong case for saving the trees on Harrowden Rd, but we cannot guarantee it.
Thank you, as ever, for your support to help us all ‘SAVE THE TREES’ around our town.
Best wishes and Happy New Year
Marion
Marion Turner-Hawes
Director, Wellingborough Walks Action Group Ltd.