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  "path": "/2026/02/26/500-year-old-oak-tree-felled-next-toby-carvery-was-healthy-posed-no-danger-27118808/",
  "publishedAt": "2026-02-26T07:48:16.000Z",
  "site": "https://metro.co.uk",
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    "supports HTML5 video",
    "felled an ancient tree",
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    "‘Vulnerable’ tenants fear homelessness after charity tells them to pay up to £700 more a month",
    "New strict rules are being brought in for London’s pedicabs – what are they?",
    "East London borough could get ‘vote’ on leaving capital if Nigel Farage becomes Prime Minister",
    "London news hub",
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  "textContent": "To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video\n\nUp Next\n\nPrevious Page\n\nNext Page\n\nA Toby Carvery in north London felled an ancient tree next to the restaurant, but experts have now found there was nothing wrong with it.\n\nThe restaurant in Whitewebbs Park, Enfield, has come under fire after it chopped down the iconic tree without permission.\n\nThe oak, thought to be 450 to 500 years old, was felled in April last year after the owner, Mitchells & Butlers, was advised that the tree was dying and posed a risk to the public.\n\nHowever, now the Forestry Commission has said there was very little evidence that the tree had to be taken down.\n\nWhat was left of the ancient oak tree in Whitewebbs Park in Enfield (Picture: Adam Cormack/Woodland Trust/PA Wire)\n\nA survey last year carried out before the felling described it as a ‘fine specimen,’ and aerial photographs showed none of its branches was hanging over a car park.\n\nThe tree showed no sign of major diseases and the trunk was largely intact, with a cavity suggesting wildlife was living inside, according to inspectors.\n\nMitchells & Butlers, who are leasing the land from the council, initially said they were told the tree posed a ‘serious health and safety risk’ before a contractor carried out the work.\n\nThe oak has been reduced to a stump, sparking outrage among locals and campaigners, who likened the incident to the felling of the Sycamore Gap tree at Hadrian’s Wall.\n\nLocals had nicknamed the tree as the ‘Guy Fawkes Oak’ (Picture: Getty Images)\n\n## What have people said?\n\nDr Ed Pyne, a senior conservation adviser at the Woodland Trust, warned that the chances of it surviving are now ‘so slim’.\n\nHe told BBC News: ‘If I had to put like a gut feeling on it, I would say like less than one percent chance.\n\n##  Latest London news\n\n  * ‘Vulnerable’ tenants fear homelessness after charity tells them to pay up to £700 more a month\n\n  * New strict rules are being brought in for London’s pedicabs – what are they?\n\n  * East London borough could get ‘vote’ on leaving capital if Nigel Farage becomes Prime Minister\n\n\n\n_**To get the latest news from the capital, visit Metro's** London news hub._\n\n‘I visited the tree in the aftermath and there was absolutely no doubt in my mind the tree was very much alive.’\n\nCampaigners have demanded a full investigation and protection of other significant trees in the area.\n\nEd Allnutt, from the Guardians of Whitewebbs group, told **Metro** last year that the tree was invaluable.\n\nThe tree is thought to have been a crucial habitat for wildlife in the woodland (Picture: Adam Cormack/Woodland Trust/PA Wire)\n\nHe added: ‘These are incredibly rare she can be home to thousands of species.\n\n‘It was one of the top 100 ancient oaks in London.’\n\nMeanwhile, the deputy leader of Enfield Council, Tim Leaver, said the tree was ‘irreplaceable’ and that the company should apologise.\n\nHe said previously: ‘This centuries-old tree, sometimes known as the Guy Fawkes Oak, was an irreplaceable part of Enfield’s natural heritage and was felled without the council’s knowledge or consent, in clear breach of the lease governing the site.’\n\nTwo weeks after the felling, Toby Carvery’s chief executive, Phil Urban, insisted the company ‘acted in good faith’ when it greenlit the works.\n\nHe continued: ‘Clearly, the felling of a beautiful old tree is a very emotive subject and is not something that any of us would undertake lightly.\n\n‘I can only apologise for all the upset that it has caused.’\n\nLast October, the council reportedly served a notice to the restaurant to start eviction.\n\nMetro has contacted Mitchells & Butlers for a comment.\n\n******Get in touch with our news team by emailing us atwebnews@metro.co.uk.******\n\n**For more stories like this,****check our news page**.\n\nComment now Comments  Add Metro as a Preferred Source on Google Add as preferred source ",
  "title": "500-year-old oak tree felled next to Toby Carvery ‘was healthy and posed no danger’"
}