Help us save the 150-year-old twin Plane trees on Lambton Road.

 UPDATE 14 Aug 2026

The trees are safe... for now.

Thank you to everyone who responded so quickly to this shocking event.

Through probing discussion with Islington Council, who engaged fully and quickly with the issue, it emerged that this was a horrible mistake - their email says

"I can confirm that the trees are not being removed.

... This situation arose as a result of administrative error and a failure to follow the appropriate procedures. We appreciate that this caused concern for local residents and apologise for any confusion.

Unfortunately, an error was made on the tree works order issued to our contractor, which incorrectly indicated that the trees were to be felled. In addition, the contractor failed to apply a felling notice, which would have identified the error before any work commenced.

Following our investigation, the contractor is no longer undertaking works within the borough, and any outstanding work orders issued to them have been cancelled."

While this is a relief, it leaves many unanswered questions.

We believe the trees may be under threat due to insurance claims, and this may raise its head again in the future. 

Thanks again for your support, we will keep collecting signatures in case of future threats to the trees.

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THE ISSUE

On 11 August 2026, residents were woken by the sound of chainsaws. Two large and healthy Plane trees on the corner of Lambton Road and Hornsey Road N19 were being cut down. 

We were only able to temporarily delay the proceedings because The Public Duty To Consult when Felling Street Trees (Environment Act 2021) has not been correctly followed by Islington Council.

However it seems that the tree officers or planners have decided that they must be removed “as part of standard insurance processes”.  

We believe this decision is flawed and only have four weeks now to try and challenge this.

Our questions
We would like to have sight of the decision-making process and ensure that proper inspections and engineers reports have been carried out, and alternatives considered, to understand the basis on which this decision has been made:

• How has the decision been made without consultation?
• Can we see the documents that explain how this has been arrived at?
• How does this meet the council’s policy on dealing with trees and insurance policies?
  
  Islington Council’s published Tree Policy states that 
  "the Council will only fell trees for sound arboricultural reasons, including where they are:
  
  
• dead, dying or dangerous;
• proven to be causing significant structural damage;
• considered by the Tree Service to be an inappropriate species for the location; or
• required to be removed as part of an agreed management programme or overall improvement project.

The Policy also identifies circumstances in which removal is not ordinarily justified and states that engineering solutions should be sought where appropriate rather than removing trees”.

We do not think any of these apply, and need to see the evidence.

The negative effects of cutting down mature trees - in leaf, in a heatwave! - are already impacting those of us who live nearby, but the larger questions of climate change mitigation and biodiversity loss are also relevant here. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), tree cover reduces urban heat by anywhere from 2 to 8 degrees and lowers energy costs by reducing the need for air conditioning. Losing these trees means losing these benefits and further exacerbating environmental degradation.

Your voice matters! Please sign this petition to support us in making sure the trees are not needlessly destroyed.

If you can, please also email our local Hillrise councillors:

shreya.nanda@islington.gov.uk 

michelline.safi-ngongo@islington.gov.uk

marian.spall@islington.gov.uk

and

George.Petais@islington.gov.uk, Executive Assistant to

Rowena.Champion@islington.gov.uk, Executive Member for Environment, Air Quality and Transport

Thank you!