Walking around the neighbourhood over Easter, l was aghast to see the above grand tree had been felled along the Marylebone Rd in front of the Landmark Hotel and just before a bus stop. Looking at the rings of the tree, it looked perfectly in good order yet it was chopped down. 

As l ask around what the reasoning behind this haste action to take down just a magnificent tree, others suggested it could have been because of the bus stop right next to it. Well if that is the case, surely the bus stop could have been moved either to the block further towards Baker St in front of the old NCR head quarters or maybe a block further down in front of the old Woolworths HQ?  Something l am sure the hotel would have welcomed! Or maybe the tree just needed pollarding down by cutting down some of the branches that get in the way of the buses coming into the bus stop to pick up passengers. 

What all this speculation tells me, is that in future public authorities like Transport for London responsible for the Marylebone Rd and its pavements, should at least notify us of their intended action by simply putting a notice up on the tree and maybe also hear other suggestions to their course of action.  Not dissimilar to a planning application but not quite. At least this way locals who notices these things, will be relieved of the shock of losing a grand old tree and it may well involve critical apprisial of the line of action intended. 

So in this case the tree won out against the bus stop, but can we at least have some sort of public consultation with notices put up of the attention of the public authority to take down a tree?;