The restaurant chain Toby Carvery is facing eviction from one of its sites after taking a chainsaw to an ancient oak tree without the permission of its council landlord.<\/p>\n
The partial felling last April of the 500-year-old oak<\/a> on the edge of a Toby Carvery car park in Whitewebbs Park, Enfield, provoked widespread public dismay and fury from Enfield council, which leases the land to the restaurant\u2019s owners Mitchells & Butlers Retail (M&B).<\/p>\n Now the north London<\/a> council has revealed it is pursuing eviction proceedings against M&B after the company refused to apologise or offer compensation for the damage. In November it issued legal proceedings at Edmonton county court seeking forfeiture of the lease. The dispute is expected to reach court later this year or early next year.<\/p>\n Tim Leaver, the deputy leader of the council, said: \u201cThe destruction of the ancient Whitewebbs oak was a reckless act which caused huge damage to the tree and cut its expected lifespan. It shocked and angered our entire community. This centuries-old tree, sometimes known as the Guy Fawkes oak, was an irreplaceable part of Enfield\u2019s natural heritage.\u201d<\/p>\n He said the partial felling happened without the council\u2019s knowledge or consent, \u201cin clear breach of the lease governing the site\u201d.<\/p>\n He added: \u201cEnfield council has served a formal section 146 notice on Mitchells & Butlers, the company responsible for the Toby Carvery at Whitewebbs Park. They have failed to engage meaningfully with the council or to make reparations. We have therefore started forfeiture proceedings for serious breaches of their lease.<\/p>\n Mitchells & Butlers is being urged to pay \u2018life support\u2019 costs for the remains of the tree after its stump showed signs of regrowth. Photograph: Dan Kitwood\/Getty<\/p>\n \u201cWe ask that Mitchells & Butlers issues a public apology and provides financial reparations for the irreversible damage they have caused as well as compensate the council for the significant costs incurred. The people of Enfield deserve accountability.\u201d<\/p>\n