ANGRY Pinner families have hit out at the number of trees felled by a developer which they say has robbed them of their privacy.
Audley Court residents say before the latest phase in the redevelopment of Mill Farm Estate their gardens were bordered by trees and the now demolished properties were set well back, so they had a measure of privacy in their gardens.
Now, they say, almost all those trees have been cut down, including a large horse chestnut tree.
Alison Martin’s garden is overlooked by the new flats and the 51-year-old said: “I didn’t realise the new flats would be so close. You can see where the old blocks are and they are just small bathroom windows, whereas these are large living rooms, so you are going to have a lot of people looking out of them all the time.”
Fiona Davoren has lived in Audley Court for 10 years and said: “I use my garden all the time in the summer, my flat is small so it’s like another room for me and I am out there with friends a lot. There is just no privacy now.”
Ms Martin added: “This has also devalued our properties, which we are very unhappy about as it will be a lot harder to sell the properties now. We also believe some of the trees had tree preservation orders on them.”
The council denies that any trees with preservation orders have been cut down on the site.
The neighbours contacted housing association, Catalyst Housing, 18 months ago to ask whether any more trees would be removed but said they had received no response.
A spokesman for Catalyst Housing said: “We have made every effort to maintain trees where possible around Mill Farm Close and took the views of residents very seriously. Indeed, the planning process paid particular attention to protecting trees on the perimeter of the development. This included formal consultation with the council’s tree officer. We did not remove any trees without the planning consent of Harrow Council.”
