Mighty oak forces Preston couple to flee their home

The Preston businessman and his wife say they have been forced to move house because the giant oak has left their luxury detached property in the shade and blocked plans to build an extension.

“We’re incredibly upset,” said the homeowner in The Drive, Fulwood, who asked not to be named.

“Our house is in darkness for most of the day due to this huge tree and now our plans for an extension have had to be withdrawn because they say the foundations might upset the roots of it.”

The dispute is set to reach a head today when the city council’s planning committee considers an application to impose a permanent tree protection order on the oak which would effectively guard it from harm above and below the ground.

Although the 40-foot tree belongs to next door, it sits on the boundary between the two gardens with part of its trunk protruding through the fence. Most of its branches overhang the businessman’s garden and some are close to touching the roof of his house.

“If they put a PTO on it then I wouldn’t be able to even trim the tree over my property without going to the council for special permission,” he said at his new address in Lea. “And I won’t be able to extend my house either.

“It’s absolutely ridiculous that I can’t do anything to improve my home because of a tree next door.

“Part of the lawn has died bacause it doesn’t get any sunlight and my wife and I have had to move out because we can’t stand the aggravation.

"This is one of the best areas of Preston, yet we have been driven out.”

The Post has tried to contact the owners of the tree.