Plans to cut down five 'imposing' trees near River Severn in Shrewsbury spark backlash among residents

The proposal to fell two horse chestnut trees and three Corsican pines and replace them with eight more trees has been met with outrage by neighbours.

The application to fell the trees at 1 Water Lane in Shrewsbury has recently been submitted to Shropshire Council.

The applicant has argued that the five trees are "imposing" on a nearby building -  a single-storey boathouse - "leaning on the walls and roof and excessively shading the property".

The dilapidated boathouse in question has recently been the subject of another controversial planning application when government planning inspectors overturned the council's rejection of plans to replace it with a modern two-storey structure.

Applicant Mr J Owen had applied for permission in 2023, but was originally told by council planners in April this year that the roof design of the replacement building would “significantly detract from the character and setting of the locality”.