I was told that a tree fell onto a large pylon yesterday and would like to know the following information.

1. Is the tree owned or on land owned by WBC
The tree was not owned by the Council. It is privately owned and registered under title number BK78504. The registered owners, Persimmon, were notified of the incident.

2. When was WBC first made aware that the tree was dead
Due to the proximity of the tree to the adjacent public open space, the tree was recorded by the Council in June 2025 as ‘dead/dying’. In June 2025 the Council inspected the tree to assess the risk to the use of the public amenity space and as there was limited risk to the use of the public amenity space, it was not necessary for the Council to enact enforcement action on the registered owner to fell the tree.

3. How many times has WBC been made aware that there was a large dead tree next to critical national infrastructure
WBC were not made aware of the proximity of the tree to infrastructure. The applicable infrastructure owners (in this case SSE) carry out their own risk assessment of vegetation impacting their infrastructure and where this is highlighted through their risk assessment, the utility provider takes direct action.

4. How recently was the tree inspected
The council inspected the tree for the impact to the public amenity space in June 2025. The registered owner would need to be contacted in relation to when any other inspections have taken place.

5. Was any work identified that was put out to tender
Non urgent crown lifting was identified by the Council to ensure the public amenity space and footpath remained safe for use.

6. Was any work carried out to the tree
Works identified as per question 5 were none urgent and not yet required.

7. If any work was carried out other than felling then why was this stipulated rather than removing a dead tree
Retaining dead trees for their habitat value is essential for supporting biodiversity and overall ecosystem health so unless there is a foreseeable risk to the structural integrity and risk to public open space, the Council would not enforce action on private tree owners. In this case, the risk to infrastructure is assessed by the utility provider and registered owner, not the Council.

8. When the land around this tree was developed was there any clause that this tree has to remain and was it dead at this point in time
Planning records are available online for public review https://experience.arcgis.com/experience/d7dbd7abe271468ba132402bbbd0f53b

9. If work was carried out did the contractor have permission to work so close to high voltage cables and did WBC check to see if all legal obligations were in place
The Council is not aware of prior works being carried out to the tree.

10. Does WBC council always choose the cheapest bid
For Council owned trees, the Council has an approved Contract Framework where 10 tree surgeons have been quality assessed in order to be approved to participate on the contract.

11. Is the bidding system broken down into the contractors fee with separate prices for the likes of traffic management and permits for example?
As per Q 10. the Council has a robust procurement process in place for tree works on Council owned trees. Fees are clearly broken down by contractors when submitting bids.

12. Was it one of the dinner ladies who assessed the Oak which fell
Not an appropriate FOI question

Clarification for location of the tree- it's the one along Hatch Farm Way in Sindlesham/Winnersh that caused the M4 to be shut. What 3 words looks like it's either Client.club.drew Or Farmer.weds.option