Sorry to ask for more help, but...

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As you are hopefully aware, yesterday's injunction order (see update 29th Dec) was made after a wider Judicial Review application to the court made on the 23rd Dec.

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With the injunction now in place, we enter a new phase of the campaign to seek transparent process and hopefully to save the trees, with the potentially still significant costs that a judicial review will present in terms of our own legal representation and time for evidence collation and so on.

We have been lucky to work with some of the best in the business - Richard Buxton of Richard Buxton Solicitors and with Paul Powlesland as barrister - who are going above and beyond for us and we are so grateful for their help, but we do of course need to be able to pay for their time to progress further in this case.

With this in mind, we launch a new CrowdJustice fundraiser which will go live from 8.30pm today seeking to raise an additional £15-20,000 on top of the funds already raised to date. You can see the Crowdjustice page here. We expect that this then should provide sufficient coverage for us to pursue the judicial review should that be how this unfolds, and keep a range of options open to us. Crowdjustice is a platform geared specifically for legal cases such as ours, and so is well placed for this particular targeted fundraising effort, so we have now closed the previous Crowdfunder page.

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We have a deadline of 29 days to go on the fundraiser, and if we don't meet our minimum target of £10,000 then we will not receive any of these funds.

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I am very conscious that I am writing to you at perhaps the worst time of year for asking for money - with Christmas just out of the way and a long stretch to that January payday. So if you can't support now, but could save a reminder in your calendar for payday with a link, we would really appreciate your support whenever you are able to. With more than 5,000 of you having signed this petition, a donation of £20 from even just 10% of you would help us to hit this new minimum target.

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Of course, none of us wanted to be in a position of pursuing a legal dispute and I had personally very much hoped and expected this matter would be resolved out of court. I am very disappointed to be in this position.There have been significant concerns over the range of statutory processes that remain incomplete and that concerns over the evidence base to fell the trees have been not fully taken into account.

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I know many of you have already generously contributed, or pledged future contributions, to help us to pay for the previous Independent Expert Evaluation report and for legal costs to this point, for which we are very grateful. If you are in a position to be able to give (or even to give again), it would be hugely appreciated, or if you could share this new fundraiser with friends and useful contacts that would be a huge help too.

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Katherine Scott

Important Update: High Court Grants Injunction to Protect 'Old King George'

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I have some important news to share. Today, the High Court granted an interim injunction preventing the felling of the 170-year-old oak known as 'Old King George', and the nearby mature horse chestnut in Wivenhoe.

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This means no felling can take place while the court considers the legal issues raised.

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This injunction is a temporary safeguard. The court accepted that interim protection was necessary to prevent irreversible environmental damage while serious questions about process and transparency are properly examined.

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I want to be very clear: we did not want matters to reach this point. Legal proceedings were a last resort—certainly not how I hoped to spend the days leading up to Christmas! However, concerns raised by the community have been ongoing for years. Throughout 2025, we sought meaningful dialogue and a pause to allow statutory processes to conclude.

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Unfortunately, despite our efforts to secure evidence and the fact that internal reviews regarding Environmental Information Regulations are still pending, the council would not agree to delay the felling planned for early January.

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When it became clear that felling was likely to proceed before these processes were complete, we felt we had no responsible alternative but to ask the court to intervene urgently. Our solicitor has raised serious concerns about potential breaches of statutory environmental duties and procedural unfairness.

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Without the injunction, there was a real risk the trees would be felled before these matters were resolved—a deeply disappointing outcome we had to avoid.

We remain committed to engaging constructively with all parties and will share updates as soon as we are able.

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Thank you to everyone for your generosity, kindness, and for understanding why this action was necessary.

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Katherine Scott

Analysis of ring patterns indicates the tree is likely over 170 years old

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A recent dendrochronological investigation into the 'Old King George Oak' in Wivenhoe analysed three core samples to determine the tree's history and condition.

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Analysis of the ring patterns indicates the tree is likely over 170 years old, with growth rates showing significant variation due to local environmental factors and surface covering.

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The report strongly recommends removing the hard asphalt surrounding the trunk to improve the tree's health, as recent decades have shown a marked decline in growth rate.

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Link to report: Dendrochronological Investigation of a Tree in Wivenhoe, Essex

On Sunday 30th March we sent to Wivenhoe Town Council an executive summary of the key findings and recommendations arising from our independent expert evaluation. On Monday 31st March they received the full 140+ page report (see below for link), which includes the original text of all of the individual expert reports commissioned alongside supporting background information. The report will be sent to the insurers, Aviva, as well as to the Council.

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As you will see in the attached summary, the key recommendation based on the evidence we have to date for addressing the structural issues in properties on Clifton Terrace is for underpinning, not felling the trees. The full report substantiates why this is recommended.

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But as a short summary, while the trees do, to some extent, contribute to structural movement in these properties, they are not the sole cause of movement with multiple additional factors at hand owing to the unique and complex siting of these properties. This includes ground conditions, soil type, construction type, proximity to the railway line and the drainage concerns shared with you previously. Those other movement contributors will not be resolved by felling the trees. Therefore, tree felling is not justifiable in providing a long-lasting solution in these specific and complex circumstances.

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The investigation also found the trees, and Old King George in particular, to be of considerable amenity value. However, experts have noted that their management and care could be improved in ways that would support the trees being retained, mitigate present or future subsidence-related risks and improve their health towards enduring for future generations to enjoy and maximising the benefits they provide us all.

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Executive summary

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Full report

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